Vallis Schrodinger and Vallis Planck are canyons that are located near the southern pole of the moon, on the side that we do not see from the ground. New analyzes of American scientists shed more light on the possible reasons for their creation.
Scientists believe that they played the mystery of two huge canyons on the moon. According to the results of the latest study, which appeared in the scientific journal “Nature Communications”, both holes in the surface of our natural satellite were created as a result of a powerful blow, and the time in which they formed could be less than 10 minutes.
Deep and very large formations
These lunar canyons are called Vallis Schroedinger and Vallis Planck. They are located on the moon invisible to us, near the South Pole. They are huge – they are 270 kilometers long and 2.7 km deep and 280 km long and 3.5 km deep. For comparison, the earthly large canyon is longer (446 km), but it is also shallower (1.86 kilometers).
Fragment of the Vallis Schrodinger canyon crossing the Sikorsky craterNASA (Image by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) – Jmars
Placing the canyons of Vallis Schrodinger and Vallis Planck, near the craters with the same namesLunar Chart LPC-1. NASA
Such grooves can arise when huge pieces of surface material are thrown into space after a very strong hit. However, the team led by planetologist David King from the American Lunar and Planetary Institute wanted to make sure that it really was. The experts so combined photos of the moon surface and generated maps, taking into account the direction in which the moon's shards moved. They reconstructed the reproach and then determined which side the impact could come from.
The band discovered that it was not symmetrical. Most of the material from the moon surface spread away from the pole of the southern moon. The impact was very strong – the rock we owe to the creation of craters rushed at a speed of 0.95 to 1.28 kilometers per second. According to the researchers, energy was created about 130 times greater than the entire world nuclear weapon arsenal during the impact.
MoonPAP/Adam Ziemienowicz
Long -range plans
Thanks to the Artemis III mission planned for 2027, which involves examining the invisible part of our natural satellite, we have a chance to learn more about the geological past of the moon.
The exact landing site has not yet been established. Mission planners models, however, do not indicate the selection of the location from which the material was released after the rock hit, which is responsible for the creation of canyons. However, this means that astronauts will gain access to much older samples.
Return to the moon Adam Ziemienowicz/PAP
Source of the main photo: NASA (Image by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) – Jmars