Moon’s Deepest Canyons Carved in Minutes by High-Velocity Impact Debris
Scientists have discovered that two enormous lunar canyons, deeper than the Grand Canyon, were formed in a matter of minutes due to the rapid movement of high-speed impact debris. The canyons, known as Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck, stretch for 270 and 280 kilometers, respectively, with depths reaching up to 3.5 kilometers. In comparison, the Grand Canyon on Earth has a maximum depth of about 1.9 kilometers. These lunar formations are located near the Schrödinger impact basin in the moon’s south polar region, an area dominated by rugged mountains and deep craters.
A study published in Nature Communications suggests that these canyons, along with several other valleys, resulted from material ejected during the impact that created the Schrödinger basin. This massive crater, measuring 320 kilometers across, formed approximately 3.81 billion years ago. It lies on the outskirts of the South Pole–Aitken basin, the moon’s largest and oldest known impact structure, which dates back more than 4.2 billion years.
The study also highlights the astonishing energy involved in carving these canyons. Scientists estimate that rock debris from the impact moved at speeds between 3,420 and 4,600 kilometers per hour—far surpassing the velocity of a 9mm bullet, which travels at about 2,200 kilometers per hour. The force generated by this event is believed to have been more than 130 times greater than the combined energy of all nuclear weapons currently in existence on Earth.
These findings provide new insights into the moon’s violent geological history and the powerful processes that shaped its surface. Understanding these rapid transformations could also help scientists refine models of planetary formation and impact dynamics across the solar system.
