South Pole-Aitken Basin formed in north-to-south impact, study finds
Updated
Updated · dailybeirut.com · May 10
South Pole-Aitken Basin formed in north-to-south impact, study finds
11 articles · Updated · dailybeirut.com · May 10
Science Advances researchers modelled a roughly 260km differentiated asteroid hitting the Moon at about 13km per second, potentially placing mantle ejecta near NASA's Artemis III south polar landing zone.
Their 3D simulations suggest the 2,000-2,500km basin's shape and crustal asymmetry are best explained by a shallow impact whose excavated deep material mostly fell back into the basin.
If Artemis returns mantle-bearing samples, scientists could date the more than four-billion-year-old collision, probe the Moon's interior and refine interpretations of giant impact basins on Mars and Pluto.
With the Moon now known to be tectonically active, what new dangers await future lunar landings?
Could China's lunar samples rewrite the violent history of our early solar system?
A new lunar 'treasure map' shows mantle rocks on the surface. Will Artemis astronauts find them?
Unveiling the Moon’s Largest Crater: North-to-South Impact Model Redefines South Pole-Aitken Basin Formation and Lunar Evolution
Overview
Recent research has fundamentally changed our understanding of how the Moon's South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin formed. Using advanced analytical techniques and high-resolution simulations, scientists discovered that a north-to-south impact created the basin's distinctive elliptical and tapered shape. These simulations showed that different impact velocities produced different crater shapes, helping to pinpoint the likely speed and direction of the impactor. This new model explains features of the SPA Basin that previous theories could not, revealing how the impact's trajectory and energy shaped the Moon's surface and offering fresh insights into lunar history.