Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes

<!doctype html> <html lang="en-AU" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#" class="site"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no"> <link rel="icon" href="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/ret_img/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/themes/cosmos/dist/images/favicon.svg?v=a905cf20" data-spai-egr="1" sizes="any" type="image/svg+xml" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/themes/cosmos/dist/images/apple-touch-icon.png?v=0025be9a" data-spai-egr="1" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="48x48" href="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/themes/cosmos/dist/images/favicon-48x48.png?v=17a9d6dc" data-spai-egr="1" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/themes/cosmos/dist/images/favicon-32x32.png?v=af68c5be" data-spai-egr="1" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/themes/cosmos/dist/images/favicon-16x16.png?v=b5cd24fd" data-spai-egr="1" /> <link rel="mask-icon" href="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/ret_img/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/themes/cosmos/dist/images/safari-pinned-tab.svg?v=6575e507" data-spai-egr="1" color="#2f76bb" /> <script> var dataLayer = window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; </script> <script> dimensionsData = ({"user_id":null,"country":null}); dimensionsData.event = "user_details"; dataLayer.push(dimensionsData); </script>  <script> (function(w, d, s, l, i) { w[l] = w[l] || []; w[l].push({ 'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(), event: 'gtm.js' }); var f = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j = d.createElement(s), dl = l != 'dataLayer' ? '&l=' + l : ''; j.async = true; j.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=' + i + dl; f.parentNode.insertBefore(j, f); })(window, document, 'script', 'dataLayer', 'GTM-5TDDMZV'); let dimensionsData; </script>  <script> dimensionsData = ({"post_type":"post","page_title":"Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes","page_location":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/","post_id":322582,"post_category":"astronomy|news|space","post_primary_category":"astronomy","revenue_type":"free","contributors":"Imma Perfetto","publish_date":"2025-02-05","publish_time":"22:00","post_tags":"asteroid-impacts|lunar-geology|moon","scroll_page_view":"false","parent_title":"Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes","parent_location":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/"}); dimensionsData.event = "page_view"; dataLayer.push(dimensionsData); </script> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }</style>  <title>Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes</title> <meta name="description" content="Two massive canyons on the Moon were carved out by streams of impacting rocks travelling at about a kilometre a second."/> <meta name="robots" content="follow, index, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1, max-image-preview:large"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Two massive canyons on the Moon were carved out by streams of impacting rocks travelling at about a kilometre a second." /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Cosmos" /> <meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/CosmosMagazine/" /> <meta property="article:tag" content="asteroid impacts" /> <meta property="article:tag" content="lunar geology" /> <meta property="article:tag" content="The Moon" /> <meta property="article:section" content="Astronomy" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_1200.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:secure_url" content="https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_1200.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="675" /> <meta property="og:image:alt" content="The cratered surface of the Moon showing 2 long canyons" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2025-02-05T22:00:00+10:30" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Two massive canyons on the Moon were carved out by streams of impacting rocks travelling at about a kilometre a second." /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@cosmosmagazine" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@cosmosmagazine" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_1200.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Written by" /> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="Imma Perfetto" /> <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Time to read" /> <meta name="twitter:data2" content="2 minutes" /> <script type="application/ld+json" class="rank-math-schema-pro">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/#organization","name":"Cosmos Magazine","url":"https://cosmosmagazine.com","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/CosmosMagazine/","https://twitter.com/cosmosmagazine"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/#logo","url":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/cosmos-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/cosmos-logo.svg","caption":"Cosmos","inLanguage":"en-AU","width":"1047","height":"172"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/#website","url":"https://cosmosmagazine.com","name":"Cosmos","publisher":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_1200.jpg","url":"/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_1200.jpg","width":"1200","height":"675","caption":"The cratered surface of the Moon showing 2 long canyons","inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":"1","item":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com","name":"Cosmos"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":"2","item":{"@id":"/space/astronomy/","name":"Astronomy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":"3","item":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/","name":"Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes"}}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/#webpage","url":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/","name":"Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes","datePublished":"2025-02-05T22:00:00+10:30","dateModified":"2025-02-05T22:00:00+10:30","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_1200.jpg"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/#breadcrumb"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/author/iperfettoriaus-org-au/","name":"Imma Perfetto","url":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/author/iperfettoriaus-org-au/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1e2c3d77c99a55e5d7491fb898bf1d6f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1e2c3d77c99a55e5d7491fb898bf1d6f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Imma Perfetto","inLanguage":"en-AU"},"worksFor":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/#organization"}},{"@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes","keywords":"canyon","datePublished":"2025-02-05T22:00:00+10:30","dateModified":"2025-02-05T22:00:00+10:30","articleSection":"Astronomy, News, Space","author":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/author/iperfettoriaus-org-au/","name":"Imma Perfetto"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/#organization"},"description":"Two massive canyons on the Moon were carved out by streams of impacting rocks travelling at about a kilometre a second.","copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/#organization"},"name":"Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes","@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/#richSnippet","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/#webpage"},"image":{"@id":"/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_1200.jpg"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/#webpage"}}]}</script>  <script> function paywall_impression_dataLayer() { dataLayer.push({ 'event': 'paywall_impression', 'paywall_name': '', 'page_location': 'https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/' }); } if (window.location.pathname == '/restricted-content/') { paywall_impression_dataLayer(); } </script>  <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5TDDMZV" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/cache/minify/5e94f.css?x44402" media="all" /> <style id='safe-svg-svg-icon-style-inline-css' type='text/css'> .safe-svg-cover{text-align:center}.safe-svg-cover .safe-svg-inside{display:inline-block;max-width:100%}.safe-svg-cover svg{height:100%;max-height:100%;max-width:100%;width:100%} </style> <style id='rank-math-toc-block-style-inline-css' type='text/css'> .wp-block-rank-math-toc-block nav ol{counter-reset:item}.wp-block-rank-math-toc-block nav ol li{display:block}.wp-block-rank-math-toc-block nav ol li:before{content:counters(item, ".") ". ";counter-increment:item} </style> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--color--brand-primary: #2f76bb;--wp--preset--color--rackley: #5B92AB;--wp--preset--color--queen-blue: #406E8E;--wp--preset--color--police-blue: #22476B;--wp--preset--color--oxford-blue: #0C2746;--wp--preset--color--light-grey: #e5e5e5;--wp--preset--color--my-cosmos-very-light: #f3f9f9;--wp--preset--color--my-cosmos-light: #00a8a8;--wp--preset--color--my-cosmos-dark: #008294;--wp--preset--color--greenlight-green: #36B34A;--wp--preset--color--greenlight-light-green: #8dc63f;--wp--preset--color--greenlight-dark-green: #0d6c28;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <style id='woocommerce-inline-inline-css' type='text/css'> .woocommerce form .form-row .required { visibility: visible; } </style> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/cache/minify/20adf.css?x44402" media="all" /> <script src="/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js?x44402&ver=3.7.1"></script><script defer src="https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/cache/minify/63b1f.js?x44402"></script> <noscript><style>.woocommerce-product-gallery{ opacity: 1 !important; }</style></noscript> <meta name="onesignal" content="wordpress-plugin"/> <script> window.OneSignal = window.OneSignal || []; OneSignal.push( function() { OneSignal.SERVICE_WORKER_UPDATER_PATH = 'OneSignalSDKUpdaterWorker.js'; OneSignal.SERVICE_WORKER_PATH = 'OneSignalSDKWorker.js'; OneSignal.SERVICE_WORKER_PARAM = { scope: '/wp-content/plugins/onesignal-free-web-push-notifications/sdk_files/push/onesignal/' }; OneSignal.setDefaultNotificationUrl("https://cosmosmagazine.com"); var oneSignal_options = {}; window._oneSignalInitOptions = oneSignal_options; oneSignal_options['wordpress'] = true; oneSignal_options['appId'] = '320b1551-21ef-49e1-b09c-5a188d0478da'; oneSignal_options['allowLocalhostAsSecureOrigin'] = true; oneSignal_options['welcomeNotification'] = { }; oneSignal_options['welcomeNotification']['title'] = ""; oneSignal_options['welcomeNotification']['message'] = ""; oneSignal_options['path'] = "https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/plugins/onesignal-free-web-push-notifications/sdk_files/"; oneSignal_options['safari_web_id'] = "web.onesignal.auto.4345f3b9-0648-4376-838e-008c1d802430"; oneSignal_options['promptOptions'] = { }; oneSignal_options['promptOptions']['actionMessage'] = "Get an update of science stories with push notifications. You can unsubscribe at any time."; oneSignal_options['notifyButton'] = { }; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['enable'] = true; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['position'] = 'bottom-left'; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['theme'] = 'default'; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['size'] = 'medium'; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['displayPredicate'] = function() { return OneSignal.isPushNotificationsEnabled() .then(function(isPushEnabled) { return !isPushEnabled; }); }; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['showCredit'] = false; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['text'] = {}; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['colors'] = {}; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['colors']['circle.background'] = '#2f76bb'; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['colors']['circle.foreground'] = 'white'; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['colors']['pulse.color'] = '#2f76bb'; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['colors']['dialog.button.background'] = '#2f76bb'; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['colors']['dialog.button.background.active'] = '#2f76bb'; OneSignal.init(window._oneSignalInitOptions); OneSignal.showSlidedownPrompt(); }); function documentInitOneSignal() { var oneSignal_elements = document.getElementsByClassName("OneSignal-prompt"); var oneSignalLinkClickHandler = function(event) { OneSignal.push(['registerForPushNotifications']); event.preventDefault(); }; for(var i = 0; i < oneSignal_elements.length; i++) oneSignal_elements[i].addEventListener('click', oneSignalLinkClickHandler, false); } if (document.readyState === 'complete') { documentInitOneSignal(); } else { window.addEventListener("load", function(event){ documentInitOneSignal(); }); } </script> <script type="text/javascript" id="spai_js" data-cfasync="false"> document.documentElement.className += " spai_has_js"; (function(w, d){ var b = d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0]; var s = d.createElement("script"); var v = ("IntersectionObserver" in w) ? "" : "-compat"; s.async = true; // This includes the script as async. s.src = "https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/assets/js/bundles/spai-lib-bg" + v + ".1.1.min.js?v=3.8.0"; w.spaiDomain = "cdn.shortpixel.ai"; w.spaiData = { version: "3.8.0", key: "spai", quality: "lossy", convert: "auto", lqip: false, rootMargin: "500px", crop: true, sizeBreakpoints: {"on":false,"base":50,"rate":10}, backgroundsMaxWidth: 1920, resizeStyleBackgrounds: true, nativeLazyLoad: false, safeLazyBackgrounds: true, asyncInitialParsing: true, debug: false, doSelectors: [{"selectors":"img","type":"attr","targetAttr":"src","attrType":"url","lazy":true,"resize":true},{"selectors":"[data-spai-bg-on]","type":"attr","targetAttr":"style","attrType":"style"},{"selectors":"style","type":"inner","attrType":"style"}], exclusions: {"selectors":{".cta-and-payment-methods img":{"lazy":1,"cdn":1,"resize":0,"lqip":0,"crop":-1},"img.zoomImg":{"lazy":1,"cdn":1,"resize":0,"lqip":0,"crop":-1}},"urls":[]}, sizeFromImageSuffix: true }; b.appendChild(s); }(window, document)); </script> <style type="text/css" id="wp-custom-css"> /*.home-banner { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxIDEiIHdpZHRoPSIxIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjEiIGRhdGEtdT0iaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZjb3Ntb3NtYWdhemluZS5jb20lMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjElMkYwOSUyRkZvc3NpbF9OaWxwZW5hLmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSIxIiBkYXRhLWg9IjEiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg=="); }*/ .cross-sells { display:none; } .woocommerce .cart-collaterals .cart_totals, .woocommerce-page .cart-collaterals .cart_totals { float: left; } section.article-container.cart-page .woocommerce .wc-proceed-to-checkout { text-align: left; } section.article-container.cart-page .woocommerce .give_wc_donation_section_td { display: none; } p.mailchimp-newsletter { display:none; } p.add-latest-issue { display:none; } .is-provider-crowdsignal amp-iframe { display: none; } body:not(.amp-mode-touch) .hide-if-not-amp { display: none; } #place_order:hover { background: unset; } </style> <script async src="https://t.atmng.io/consent/stub.js"></script> <script async src="https://t.atmng.io/qvty/WiEbuew5P.prod.js"></script>  <script> var adUnits = adUnits || []; adUnits = adUnits.concat([{auId:'00000000001fc2ca',auW:'0',auH:'250',mediaType:'mobile',postId:322582,targetId:'adn-00000000001fc2ca-i0p0',requestParams:{proximity:800,load:'lazyRequest'}},{auId:'00000000001fc2ca',auW:'0',auH:'250',mediaType:'mobile',postId:322582,targetId:'adn-00000000001fc2ca-i1p0',requestParams:{proximity:800,load:'lazyRequest'}},{auId:'00000000001fc2cc',auW:'300',auH:'250',mediaType:'desktop',refresh:{delay:30,count:5,event:'onViewable'},targetId:'adn-00000000001fc2cc-i0p0',requestParams:{proximity:800,load:'lazyRequest'}},{auId:'00000000001fc737',auW:'320',auH:'50',mediaType:'mobile',refresh:{delay:30,count:5,event:'onViewable'},targetId:'adn-00000000001fc737-i0p0',requestParams:{proximity:800,load:'lazyRequest'}},{auId:'000000000023d099',auW:'970',auH:'90',mediaType:'desktop',refresh:{delay:30,count:5,event:'onViewable'},targetId:'adn-000000000023d099-i0p0',requestParams:{proximity:800,load:'lazyRequest'}},{auId:'000000000023d09a',auW:'300',auH:'250',mediaType:'mobile',refresh:{delay:30,count:5,event:'onViewable'},targetId:'adn-000000000023d09a-i0p0',requestParams:{proximity:800,load:'lazyRequest'}},{auId:'00000000001fc2bd',auW:'970',auH:'90',mediaType:'desktop',targetId:'adn-00000000001fc2bd-i0p0',refresh:{delay:30,count:5,event:'onViewable'},requestParams:{proximity:800,load:'lazyRequest'}}]); </script> <script> let adUnitsServed = []; let adUnitDivParentClassArray = []; var adUnits = adUnits || []; requestThirdPartyAds = (adUnits, adUnitsPrevious) => { let adUnitsFiltered = adUnits.filter(function(adUnit) { if (!adUnit.mediaType || adUnit.mediaType === 'all') { return true; } if (isMobileDevice()) { return adUnit.mediaType !== 'desktop'; } else { return adUnit.mediaType !== 'mobile'; } }); if (JSON.stringify(adUnitsFiltered) === JSON.stringify(adUnitsServed)) { return adUnitsFiltered; } adUnitsFiltered = adUnitsFiltered.filter(function(adUnit) { return !adUnitsServed.some(function(adUnitServed) { return JSON.stringify(adUnit) === JSON.stringify(adUnitServed) }); }); if (adUnitsFiltered.length === 0) { return adUnitsFiltered; } let adUnitsToRequest = []; adUnitsToRequest = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(adUnitsFiltered)); adUnitsToRequest.forEach(function(adUnitToRequest) { delete adUnitToRequest.mediaType; }); window.adn = window.adn || {}; adn.calls = adn.calls || []; adn.calls.push(function() { adn.requestAds({ adUnits: adUnitsToRequest }); }); if (window.location.hostname !== 'cosmosmagazine.com') { console.log('Ad units requested: ', adUnitsFiltered); if (isMobileDevice()) { console.log("Mobile device detected."); } else { console.log("Desktop device detected."); } } adUnitsServed = adUnitsServed.concat(adUnitsFiltered); return adUnitsServed; }; function isMobileDevice() { let userAgent = navigator.userAgent || navigator.vendor || window.opera; let windowWidth = window.innerWidth; if (windowWidth > 1100) { return false; } if (/windows phone/i.test(userAgent)) { return true; } if (/android/i.test(userAgent)) { return true; } if (/iPad|iPhone|iPod/.test(userAgent) && !window.MSStream) { return true; } if (windowWidth < 1100) { return true; } return false; } adUnitsServed = requestThirdPartyAds(adUnits, adUnitsServed); </script> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://use.typekit.net" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://chimpstatic.com" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://connect.facebook.net" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://vars.hotjar.com" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://script.hotjar.com" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://static.hotjar.com" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://www.googletagmanager.com" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.adnuntius.com" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://t.atmng.io" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.onesignal.com" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://www.google-analytics.com" crossorigin> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://s3.amazonaws.com" crossorigin> <script> // console log the user's IP address for debugging purposes console.log('User IP Address: 2603:9000:5b09:fc59:dd4:fd01:a320:6614'); console.log('User has IP Access: '); console.log('User has Access (IP or subscription): '); </script> <link href="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai" rel="preconnect" crossorigin><style id="spai_bg_lazr">html.spai_has_js [data-spai-bg-on]:not([data-spai-bg-prepared]){background-image: none !important;}</style></head> <body class="post-template-default single single-post postid-322582 single-format-standard wp-custom-logo theme-cosmos/resources woocommerce-no-js grand-canyons-on-the-moon astronomy news space non-member app-data index-data singular-data single-data single-post-data single-post-grand-canyons-on-the-moon-data"> <div id="wrapper" class="wrap container" role="document"> <header class="banner Fixed">  <div class="advert full-width-advert ad-page-top ad-desktop auh-90"><div id="adn-00000000001fc2bd-i0p0" style="display: none"></div></div> <div class="container"> <div class="header-upper"> <div class="header-menu-wrapper"> <ul class="cols-all-gap"> <li class="col login"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/account/">LOG IN</a> </li> <li class="col signup"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/subscribe-now" class="signup-header">SIGN UP</a> </li> <li class="col search" id="magnifying-glass__icon"> <a class="open-search-form" href="#search-form" aria-label="Article Search Icon Link"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="white" stroke-width="4" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"> <circle cx="11" cy="11" r="8"></circle> <line x1="21" y1="21" x2="16.65" y2="16.65" stroke-width="5"></line> </svg> </a> </li> <li class="col menu-cart"> <a aria-label="Cart link Icon" class="menu-cart-icon" href='https://cosmosmagazine.com/checkout/' > <svg width="100%" height="100%" viewBox="0 0 34 28" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xml:space="preserve" xmlns:serif="http://www.serif.com/" style="fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-miterlimit:2;"> <g> <path d="M23.951,22.432C23.951,22.871 23.589,23.227 23.143,23.227C22.703,23.23 22.339,22.872 22.335,22.432L22.335,15.75C22.335,15.31 22.697,14.954 23.143,14.954C23.589,14.954 23.951,15.31 23.951,15.75L23.951,22.432ZM17.808,22.432C17.808,22.871 17.446,23.227 17,23.227C16.56,23.23 16.196,22.872 16.192,22.432L16.192,15.75C16.192,15.31 16.554,14.954 17,14.954C17.446,14.954 17.808,15.31 17.808,15.75L17.808,22.432ZM11.665,22.432C11.665,22.871 11.303,23.227 10.857,23.227C10.417,23.23 10.053,22.872 10.049,22.432L10.049,15.75C10.049,15.31 10.411,14.954 10.857,14.954C11.303,14.954 11.665,15.31 11.665,15.75L11.665,22.432ZM17,2.557L22.744,10.181L11.256,10.181L17,2.557ZM32.32,10.181L25.159,10.181L17.786,0.394L17.78,0.386L17.773,0.38C17.755,0.357 17.737,0.334 17.717,0.313L17.687,0.28L17.65,0.247C17.629,0.229 17.608,0.211 17.586,0.195L17.576,0.187C17.502,0.133 17.42,0.09 17.334,0.059L17.322,0.054C17.295,0.045 17.268,0.037 17.24,0.03L17.232,0.027C17.208,0.021 17.184,0.017 17.159,0.013L17.14,0.01L17.081,0.004L17.047,0L16.952,0C16.944,0 16.937,0.002 16.929,0.003C16.905,0.004 16.882,0.007 16.858,0.01L16.853,0.01C16.698,0.034 16.55,0.094 16.423,0.187L16.415,0.193C16.392,0.21 16.37,0.228 16.349,0.247C16.337,0.257 16.326,0.269 16.314,0.281C16.304,0.291 16.292,0.301 16.282,0.313C16.262,0.334 16.244,0.357 16.226,0.38L16.22,0.386L16.214,0.394L8.841,10.181L1.681,10.181C0.497,10.181 -0.315,11.354 0.118,12.438L3.773,26.045C4.149,27.211 5.244,28.005 6.47,28L27.53,28C28.767,28 29.86,27.208 30.227,26.045L33.882,12.438C34.315,11.354 33.502,10.181 32.32,10.181Z" /> </g> </svg> </a> </li> </ul> <div class="search-form-modal"> <div class="search-close"></div> <div class="search-container"> <div class="search-form__ui"> <div class="search-form__input-wrapper" id="searchInput"></div> <button class="search-form__button">SEARCH</button> </div> <div class="search-form__results" id="headerSearchHits"></div> <div class="search-form__view-more"> <span>View More Results</span> </div> </div> </div> <script> document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() { let searchViewMore = document.querySelector('.search-form__view-more'); let seachInput = document.getElementById('searchInput'); // If algoliasearch is not defined. This is the case when the Algolia scripts are not loaded. (e.g. on single post pages for page speed optimisation). if (typeof algoliasearch === 'undefined') { // Add an input field to the search form seachInput.innerHTML = ` <div class="ais-SearchBox"><form action="" role="search" class="ais-SearchBox-form" novalidate=""> <input class="ais-SearchBox-input" type="search" placeholder="Search The Archives" autocomplete="off" autocorrect="off" autocapitalize="off" spellcheck="false" maxlength="512"> </form></div>`; searchViewMore.style.display = 'none'; } document.querySelectorAll('.search-form__button, .search-form__view-more').forEach( function(triggerEl) { triggerEl.addEventListener('click', function() { let searchQuery = triggerEl.parentNode.querySelector( 'input').value; document.location.href = '/search?query=' + searchQuery; }); }); document.querySelectorAll('.ais-SearchBox-input').forEach(function(inputEl) { inputEl.addEventListener('keydown', function(ev) { if (ev.key === 'Enter') { ev.preventDefault(); let searchQuery = ev.currentTarget.value; document.location.href = '/search?query=' + searchQuery; } }); }); }); </script> </div> </div> <div class="primary-menu-wrapper"> <div class="hamburger hamburger--collapse" type="button" aria-label="Mobile Menu" role="button" tabindex="1" onClick="document.getElementById('primary-menu').classList.toggle('active');" on="tap:primary-menu.toggleClass(class=active)"> </div> <a class="brand" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/"> <img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA4MzkgMTUxIiB3aWR0aD0iODM5IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjE1MSIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMyUyRkNvc21vc19sb2dvX3doaXRlLnN2ZyIgZGF0YS13PSI4MzkiIGRhdGEtaD0iMTUxIiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=" data-spai="1" alt="Cosmos" width="200" height="50"><noscript data-spai="1"><img src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/ret_img/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cosmos_logo_white.svg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Cosmos" width="200" height="50"></noscript> </a> <div class="nav-wrapper"> <nav id="primary-menu" class="nav-primary"> <div class="primary-menu__background" onClick="document.getElementById('primary-menu').classList.toggle('active');" on="tap:primary-menu.toggleClass(class=active)"> </div> <div class="mobile-menu-actions"> <div class="mobile-search-toggle" onclick="(function() { document.getElementById('primary-menu').classList.remove('active'); document.getElementById('mobile-search').classList.add('active'); document.getElementById('mobile-search-input').focus(); })()" on="tap:primary-menu.toggleClass(class=active, force=false),mobile-search.toggleClass(class=active, force=true),mobile-search-input.focus"> SEARCH</div> <div class="mobile-account-button"> <a href="/account"> LOG IN </a> </div> </div> <ul id="menu-main-menu" class="nav"><li id="menu-item-1329" class="current-post-ancestor current-post-parent space-border menu-item menu-space"><a href="/space/">Space</a></li> <li id="menu-item-27168" class="technology-border menu-item menu-tech"><a href="/technology/">Tech</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1321" class="nature-border menu-item menu-nature"><a href="/nature/">Nature</a></li> <li id="menu-item-33108" class="earth-border menu-item menu-earth"><a href="/earth/">Earth</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1302" class="history-border menu-item menu-history"><a href="/history/">History</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1325" class="people-border menu-item menu-people"><a href="/people/">People</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1313" class="health-border menu-item menu-health"><a href="/health/">Health</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1335" class="science-border menu-item menu-core-sciences"><a href="/science/">Core Sciences</a></li> <li id="menu-item-318790" class="menu-item menu-visual-stories"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/visual-stories/">Visual Stories</a></li> <li id="menu-item-311423" class="menu-item menu-newsletters"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/newsletter/">Newsletters</a></li> <li id="menu-item-311215" class="menu-item menu-subscribe-now"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/subscribe-now/">Subscribe Now</a></li> </ul> </nav> <div class="secondary-menu-wrapper "> <nav id="secondary-menu"> <ul> <li class="space-border"> <a href="/space/astrobiology/">Astrobiology</a> </li> <li class="space-border"> <a href="/space/astronomy/">Astronomy</a> </li> <li class="space-border"> <a href="/space/astrophysics/">Astrophysics</a> </li> <li class="space-border"> <a href="/space/exploration/">Space Exploration</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="secondary-menu-wrapper duplicate-secondary-nav"> <nav id="secondary-menu"> <ul> <li class="space-border"> <a href="/space/astrobiology/">Astrobiology</a> </li> <li class="space-border"> <a href="/space/astronomy/">Astronomy</a> </li> <li class="space-border"> <a href="/space/astrophysics/">Astrophysics</a> </li> <li class="space-border"> <a href="/space/exploration/">Space Exploration</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div id="mobile-search" class="mobile-search"> <form class="mobile-search__form" action="/search/" method="GET"> <input id="mobile-search-input" class="mobile-search__input" name="query" placeholder="Search..." aria-label="Search Input" /> <button class="mobile-search__button" aria-label="Search Button" title="Search" role="button"> <svg width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 28 28"> <path fill-rule="nonzero" d="M12 0c6.627417 0 12 5.372583 12 12 0 3.2085154-1.2592234 6.1229233-3.3104309 8.2759846.0054641.0049849.0115296.0109006.0175377.0169086l5.6568542 5.6568543c.3905243.3905243.3905243 1.0236892 0 1.4142135-.3905243.3905243-1.0236892.3905243-1.4142135 0l-5.6568543-5.6568542c-.0339069-.0339069-.0648699-.069643-.0928889-.1068905C17.1949096 23.1071552 14.7017223 24 12 24 5.372583 24 0 18.627417 0 12S5.372583 0 12 0zm0 2C6.4771525 2 2 6.4771525 2 12s4.4771525 10 10 10 10-4.4771525 10-10S17.5228475 2 12 2z"> </path> </svg> </button> </form> </div> <div class="content"> <main class="main rows-gap margin-top-1 margin-bottom-1"> <nav aria-label="breadcrumbs" class="rank-math-breadcrumb"><p><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos</a><span class="separator"> » </span><a href="/space/astronomy/">Astronomy</a></p></nav> <section class="article-container cols-4 md-cols-1 cols-gap-1 padding-bottom-4"> <article class="col col-span-3 post-322582 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-astronomy category-news category-space tag-asteroid-impacts tag-lunar-geology tag-moon"> <header class="rows rows-gap"> <h1 class="entry-title row">Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes</h1> <div class="row primary-image has-featured-image " data-featured-image="Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_1200.jpg"> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content cols-6 md-cols-1 cols-gap-1 margin-top-1"> <div class="content-left-sidebar cols-1 col"> <section class="contributors md-cols-1 rows-gap"> <div class="row post-date"> <span class="published-date">February 5, 2025</span> </div> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto/" class="author row md-hide"> <img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA3MzAgNzMwIiB3aWR0aD0iNzMwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjczMCIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjIlMkYxMSUyRmltbWEuanBnIiBkYXRhLXc9IjczMCIgZGF0YS1oPSI3MzAiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==" data-spai="1" alt="Imma Perfetto" width="200" /><noscript data-spai="1"><img src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/imma.jpg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Imma Perfetto" width="200" /></noscript> <div class="bio"> <h3>Imma Perfetto</h3> <p>Cosmos science journalist</p> </div> </a> <div id="author-name" class="hide"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto/" class="bio"> By Imma Perfetto </a> </div> <div class="favourite__wrapper row cols"> <button class="showDialog simplefavorite-button" aria-label="Favourite button"> </button> </div> </section> </div> <div class="primary-content cols-1 col-span-5 col"> <div class="flexible-content "> <div class="copy"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="850" height="425" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA4NTAgNDI1IiB3aWR0aD0iODUwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjUlMkYwMiUyRkdyYW5kLUNhbnlvbnMtb24tdGhlLU1vb25fTmF0dXJlLUNvbW1zX2ltYWdlLTJfODUwLmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSI4NTAiIGRhdGEtaD0iNDI1IiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=" data-spai="1" alt="The cratered surface of the moon showing 2 long canyons" class="wp-image-322584" title="grand canyons on the moon were created in just minutes 1" ><noscript data-spai="1"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="850" height="425" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_850.jpg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="The cratered surface of the moon showing 2 long canyons" class="wp-image-322584" title="grand canyons on the moon were created in just minutes 1" srcset="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_850.jpg 850w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_850-600x300.jpg 600w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_850-768x384.jpg 768w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_850-300x150.jpg 300w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-2_850-150x75.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px"></noscript><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">View of 2 grand canyons on the Moon radiating from the Schrödinger impact basin near the lunar south pole on the lunar far side. View is from orbit looking obliquely across the surface, like an astronaut in an approaching spacecraft. Credit: NASA/SVS/Ernie T. Wright.</figcaption></figure> <p>New research suggests that 2 massive canyons on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/moon-not-geologically-dead/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Moon</a> were carved out by streams of impacting rocks travelling at about a kilometre a second.</p> <p>The canyons, Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck – at 270km long and 2.7km deep, 280km long and 3.5km deep, respectively – are comparable in size to the Grand Canyon in the US.</p> <p>“Whereas Arizona’s Grand Canyon was carved by water over the last 5-6 million years and from integrated paleocanyons that formed over 70 million years, the Moon’s Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck were carved by streams of impacting rock in less than 10 minutes,” write the authors of the new Nat</p> <p>They are among the many canyons and ravines that surround the 3.81-billion-year-old Schrödinger impact basin, and until now scientists weren’t sure exactly how they formed.</p> <p>A new <em>Nature Communications</em> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55675-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> suggests they were shaped by streaks of rocky debris, also known as ejecta rays, thrown out during an asteroid or comet impact that formed the basin.</p> <p>The researchers estimate that the energy needed to produce these grand canyons on the Moon was massive:  “…more than 700 times larger than the total yield of US, USSR, and China’s nuclear explosion tests, and about 130 times larger than the energy in the global inventory of nuclear weapons.”</p> <div class="advert ad-in-content ad-mobile auh-250"><div id="adn-00000000001fc2ca-i0p0" style="display: none"></div></div> <p>They used photographs of the Moon taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to create maps of its surface. Using these, they calculated the flow directions and speed of the debris ejected during the impact event.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="850" height="850" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA4NTAgODUwIiB3aWR0aD0iODUwIiBoZWlnaHQ9Ijg1MCIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjUlMkYwMiUyRkdyYW5kLUNhbnlvbnMtb24tdGhlLU1vb25fTmF0dXJlLUNvbW1zX2ltYWdlLTFfODUwLmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSI4NTAiIGRhdGEtaD0iODUwIiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=" data-spai="1" alt="Looking straight down at the surface of the moon, a large circular crater has 2 long lines radiating out from it" class="wp-image-322583" title="grand canyons on the moon were created in just minutes 2" ><noscript data-spai="1"><img decoding="async" width="850" height="850" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-1_850.jpg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Looking straight down at the surface of the moon, a large circular crater has 2 long lines radiating out from it" class="wp-image-322583" title="grand canyons on the moon were created in just minutes 2" srcset="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-1_850.jpg 850w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-1_850-600x600.jpg 600w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-1_850-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-1_850-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-1_850-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-1_850-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Grand-Canyons-on-the-Moon_Nature-Comms_image-1_850-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px"></noscript><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">View of 2 grand canyons on the Moon radiating from the Schrödinger impact basin near the lunar south pole on the lunar far side. View is from orbit, looking straight down at the Moon’s surface. Credit: NASA/SVS/Ernie T. Wright.</figcaption></figure> <p>They could then model how the ejecta rays were formed.</p> <a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/OP59" class="newsletter-cta" data-device="mobile"> <img decoding="async" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAzMDAgMjUwIiB3aWR0aD0iMzAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMyUyRldlZWtseS1DYXRjaHVwLTMwMHgyNTAtMS5wbmciIGRhdGEtdz0iMzAwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+" data-spai="1" alt="Newsletter" title="grand canyons on the moon were created in just minutes 3"><noscript data-spai="1"><img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Weekly-Catchup-300x250-1.png" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Newsletter" title="grand canyons on the moon were created in just minutes 3"></noscript> </a> <p>The team proposes that the canyons were carved out of the lunar crust in less than 10 minutes by ejecta travelling between 0.95-1.28km per second. </p> <p>The average size of the ejecta fragments that carved Vallis Planck would have been less than 2km in diameter, while those that carved Vallis Schrödinger could have been as large as been 2.3-5.2 km in diameter.</p> <p>The calculations suggest that most of the excavated debris was distributed asymmetrically, which points to a shallow impact trajectory in the direction away from the south pole.</p> <div class="advert ad-in-content ad-mobile auh-250"><div id="adn-00000000001fc2ca-i1p0" style="display: none"></div></div> <p>The researchers say that the Schrödinger impact trajectory has important implications for the pending <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/exploration/artemis-delayed-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artemis missions</a> to the south polar region.</p> <p>“The rim of the Schrödinger basin is within 300 km of the south pole and within 125 km of the Artemis exploration zone, which is the first destination of Artemis astronauts,” the authors write in the paper.</p> <p>“The asymmetric ejecta distribution implied by Schrödinger’s crater rays suggests there is less Schrödinger impact ejecta covering candidate landing sites and, thus, astronauts and robotic assets will find it easier to sample [the South Pole–Aitken basin] and underlying primordial crust samples.”</p> <div style><a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/O5bE"><p align="center"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-198773" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA3MjggMjI1IiB3aWR0aD0iNzI4IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjIyNSIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRmNvc21vc21hZ2F6aW5lLmNvbSUyRndwLWNvbnRlbnQlMkZ1cGxvYWRzJTJGMjAyNCUyRjAzJTJGRGFpbHktRG9zZS1OZXdzbGV0dGVyX0Nvc21vc19FbWJlZF83Mjh4MjI1LmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSI3MjgiIGRhdGEtaD0iMjI1IiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=" data-spai="1" alt="Sign up to our weekly newsletter" width="600" height="154" title="grand canyons on the moon were created in just minutes 4"><noscript data-spai="1"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-198773" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Daily-Dose-Newsletter_Cosmos_Embed_728x225.jpg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Sign up to our weekly newsletter" width="600" height="154" title="grand canyons on the moon were created in just minutes 4"></noscript></p></a></div> <div class="in-content-area related-box-wrapper"> <div class="gradient-title">Read More</div> <ul class="related-box article-listing"> <li class="cols"> <div class="article article-post sm-cols-1 cols-3"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/moon-not-geologically-dead/" class="thumbnail ar-16-9 h-100" aria-label="Article link"> <span data-spai-bg-on="1" class="image" style="background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxMjAwIDY3NSIgd2lkdGg9IjEyMDAiIGhlaWdodD0iNjc1IiBkYXRhLXU9Imh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGY29zbW9zbWFnYXppbmUuY29tJTJGd3AtY29udGVudCUyRnVwbG9hZHMlMkYyMDI0JTJGMDMlMkZiaXRtYXAtMy5qcGciIGRhdGEtdz0iMTIwMCIgZGF0YS1oPSI2NzUiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==)"></span> </a> <div class="article-content has-very-light-grey-background-color cols-1 col-span-2 sm-col-span-1 padding-1"> <a href="/space/astronomy/"> <span class="category space-color"> Astronomy </span> </a> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/moon-not-geologically-dead/"> <h3>The moon is not so dead after all</h3> </a> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div>  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" width='1' height='1' style="opacity:0; height:1px!important; width:1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" aria-label="Syndication Tracker" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=322582&title=Grand+canyons+on+the+Moon+were+created+in+just+minutes" loading="lazy">  <div class="share-syndicate-wrapper margin-top-1"> <div id="cosmos-link-back">  <p>Originally published by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" style="font-style:italic;">Cosmos</a> as <a title="Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/" id="cosmos-post-url">Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes</a></p>  </div> <div class="article-sharing"> <ul class="cols"> <li> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmosmagazine.com%2Fspace%2Fastronomy%2Fgrand-canyons-on-the-moon%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Share on Facebook" onclick="window.open('https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmosmagazine.com%2Fspace%2Fastronomy%2Fgrand-canyons-on-the-moon%2F'); return false;" class="primary-svg-fill-hover"> <svg width="30" height="30"> <g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"> <circle cx="15" cy="15" r="14" stroke="#FFF" stroke-width="2"/> <path fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" d="M18 12.55075h-2.565572V10.5195c0-.6230625.594107-.7675625.8713992-.7675625h1.657358V7.01075L16.063679 7c-2.5916132 0-3.1831276 2.0439375-3.1831276 3.3545v2.1963125H11V15.375h1.8805514V23h2.5538766v-7.625h2.1694815L18 12.55075z"/> </g> </svg> </a> </li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmosmagazine.com%2Fspace%2Fastronomy%2Fgrand-canyons-on-the-moon%2F&title=Grand%20canyons%20on%20the%20Moon%20were%20created%20in%20just%20minutes&via=CosmosMagazine&hashtags=science" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Tweet" onclick="window.open('https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmosmagazine.com%2Fspace%2Fastronomy%2Fgrand-canyons-on-the-moon%2F&title=Grand%20canyons%20on%20the%20Moon%20were%20created%20in%20just%20minutes&via=CosmosMagazine&hashtags=science'); return false;" class="primary-svg-fill-hover"> <svg width="30" height="30" viewBox="0 0 30 30" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"> <circle cx="15" cy="15" r="14" fill="none" stroke="white" stroke-width="2" /> <path transform="matrix(0.011189,0,0,0.011189,8.28657,8)" d="M714.163 519.284L1160.89 0H1055.03L667.137 450.887L357.328 0H0L468.492 681.821L0 1226.37H105.866L515.491 750.218L842.672 1226.37H1200L714.137 519.284H714.163ZM569.165 687.828L521.697 619.934L144.011 79.6944H306.615L611.412 515.685L658.88 583.579L1055.08 1150.3H892.476L569.165 687.854V687.828Z" fill="white" /> </g> </svg> </a> </li> </ul> </div></div> </div> <div class="post-content-section"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> <aside class="col"> <div class="aside-content"> <div>  <div class="advert aside-ad ad-desktop auh-250"><div id="adn-00000000001fc2cc-i0p0" style="display: none"></div></div> </div> <div class="newsletter-sidebar margin-top-1"> <a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/OP59" class="newsletter-cta" data-device="desktop"> <img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAzMDAgMjUwIiB3aWR0aD0iMzAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMyUyRldlZWtseS1DYXRjaHVwLTMwMHgyNTAtMS5wbmciIGRhdGEtdz0iMzAwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+" data-spai="1" alt="Newsletter"><noscript data-spai="1"><img src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Weekly-Catchup-300x250-1.png" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Newsletter"></noscript> </a> </div> <div class="read-more-wrapper sidebar-wrapper margin-top-1 margin-bottom-1"> <div class="cols-1"> <h4 class="gradient-title margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1">You Might Like</h4> </div> <ul class="article-listing read-more-articles slider slide-last-20 cols-1 md-cols-1 rows-gap-1-dotted rows-list"> <li class="row read-more-articles__list"> <div class="article article-post"> <a class="thumbnail ar-16-9 md-ar-1-1" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/moon-earth-meteorite-impacts/" aria-label="Article link"> <span data-spai-bg-on="1" class="image" style="background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxMjAwIDY3NSIgd2lkdGg9IjEyMDAiIGhlaWdodD0iNjc1IiBkYXRhLXU9Imh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGY29zbW9zbWFnYXppbmUuY29tJTJGd3AtY29udGVudCUyRnVwbG9hZHMlMkYyMDIyJTJGMDklMkZQaG90by04X0NoYW5nZS01LWdsYXNzLWJlYWRzLTEyMDAuanBnIiBkYXRhLXc9IjEyMDAiIGRhdGEtaD0iNjc1IiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=);background-position: 50% 50%" data-position-x="50" data-position-y="50" data-image-width="1200" data-image-height="675"> </span> </a> <div class="article-content padding-1"> <div class="cols-8"> <a class="primary-category cols-1 col-span-7 category space-color" href="/space/"> Space </a> <div class="favourite__wrapper row cols"> <button class="showDialog simplefavorite-button" aria-label="Favourite button"> </button> </div> </div> <a class="title" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/moon-earth-meteorite-impacts/" aria-label="Article link"> <h2 class=" ">Lunar glass samples reveal Moon meteorite impacts that mirrored those happening on Earth millions of years ago</h2> </a> </div> </div> </li> <li class="row read-more-articles__list"> <div class="article article-post"> <a class="thumbnail ar-16-9 md-ar-1-1" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/you-may-have-missed-29/" aria-label="Article link"> <span data-spai-bg-on="1" class="image" style="background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,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);background-position: 50% 50%" data-position-x="50" data-position-y="50" data-image-width="1200" data-image-height="675"> </span> </a> <div class="article-content padding-1"> <div class="cols-8"> <a class="primary-category cols-1 col-span-7 category space-color" href="/space/"> Space </a> <div class="favourite__wrapper row cols"> <button class="showDialog simplefavorite-button" aria-label="Favourite button"> </button> </div> </div> <a class="title" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/you-may-have-missed-29/" aria-label="Article link"> <h2 class=" ">You may have missed...</h2> </a> </div> </div> </li> <li class="row read-more-articles__list"> <div class="article article-post"> <a class="thumbnail ar-16-9 md-ar-1-1" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/could-asteroids-bombard-the-earth-to-cause-a-mass-extinction-in-ten-million-years/" aria-label="Article link"> <span data-spai-bg-on="1" class="image" style="background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA4MDAgODAwIiB3aWR0aD0iODAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjgwMCIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRmNvc21vc21hZ2F6aW5lLmNvbSUyRndwLWNvbnRlbnQlMkZ1cGxvYWRzJTJGMjAxOSUyRjEyJTJGMTcwODE0X0FzdGVyb2lkX1RodW1iLmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSI4MDAiIGRhdGEtaD0iODAwIiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=);background-position: 50% 50%" data-position-x="50" data-position-y="50" data-image-width="800" data-image-height="800"> </span> </a> <div class="article-content padding-1"> <div class="cols-8"> <a class="primary-category cols-1 col-span-7 category space-color" href="/space/"> Space </a> <div class="favourite__wrapper row cols"> <button class="showDialog simplefavorite-button" aria-label="Favourite button"> </button> </div> </div> <a class="title" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/could-asteroids-bombard-the-earth-to-cause-a-mass-extinction-in-ten-million-years/" aria-label="Article link"> <h2 class=" ">Could asteroids bombard the Earth to cause a mass extinction in ten million years?</h2> </a> </div> </div> </li> <li class="row read-more-articles__list"> <div class="article article-post"> <a class="thumbnail ar-16-9 md-ar-1-1" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/martian-landscape-created-by-two-distinct-asteroid-epochs/" aria-label="Article link"> <span data-spai-bg-on="1" class="image" style="background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgOTAzIiB3aWR0aD0iOTAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjkwMyIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRmNvc21vc21hZ2F6aW5lLmNvbSUyRndwLWNvbnRlbnQlMkZ1cGxvYWRzJTJGMjAxOSUyRjEyJTJGMDEwNTE3X21hcnNpbXBhY3RfUC5qcGciIGRhdGEtdz0iOTAwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjkwMyIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+);background-position: 50% 50%" data-position-x="50" data-position-y="50" data-image-width="900" data-image-height="903"> </span> </a> <div class="article-content padding-1"> <div class="cols-8"> <a class="primary-category cols-1 col-span-7 category space-color" href="/space/"> Space </a> <div class="favourite__wrapper row cols"> <button class="showDialog simplefavorite-button" aria-label="Favourite button"> </button> </div> </div> <a class="title" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/martian-landscape-created-by-two-distinct-asteroid-epochs/" aria-label="Article link"> <h2 class=" ">Martian landscape created by two distinct asteroid epochs</h2> </a> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </aside> </section>  <div class="advert ad-bottom-sticky-mobile ad-mobile auh-50"><div id="adn-00000000001fc737-i0p0" style="display: none"></div></div> <div class="advert ad-post-bottom padding-bottom-4 ad-desktop auh-90"><div id="adn-000000000023d099-i0p0" style="display: none"></div></div>  <div class="advert ad-post-bottom padding-bottom-4 ad-mobile auh-250"><div id="adn-000000000023d09a-i0p0" style="display: none"></div></div> <div class="single-post-loadmore-wrap entry-content"> <div id="single-post-load-more-content" class="single-post-loadmore"> </div> <div class="load-more-trigger"> <div id="single-post-load-more-btn" data-page="0" data-single-post-id="322582" class="button-tertiary" data-max-pages="5"> <span id="single-loading-text" class="mt-1 hidden text-sm">Loading next article...</span> </div> </div> </div> </main> </div> <dialog class="favourite__dialog" id="favouriteDialog"> <div class="favourite__dialog__body"> <p>Please login to favourite this article.</p> </div> <div class="favourite__dialog__footer"> <button class="button closeDialog">Close</button> <button class="button loginUrl">Login</button> </div> </dialog><footer class="footer"> <div class="inner-container"> <div class="footer-branding cols-1"> <a class="brand" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/"> <img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA4MzkgMTUxIiB3aWR0aD0iODM5IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjE1MSIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMyUyRkNvc21vc19sb2dvX3doaXRlLnN2ZyIgZGF0YS13PSI4MzkiIGRhdGEtaD0iMTUxIiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=" data-spai="1" alt="Cosmos" width="300"><noscript data-spai="1"><img src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/ret_img/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cosmos_logo_white.svg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Cosmos" width="300"></noscript> </a> </div> <div class="content cols-4 md-cols-2 sm-cols-1"> <div class="item menu"> <ul id="menu-footer-menu" class="nav"><li id="menu-item-313731" class="menu-item menu-subscribe-now"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/subscribe-now/">Subscribe Now</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1345" class="menu-item menu-about-us"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/about-us/">About Us</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1346" class="menu-item menu-faq"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/faq/">FAQ</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1357" class="menu-item menu-terms-of-use"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/terms/">Terms of use</a></li> <li id="menu-item-257148" class="menu-item menu-schools"><a href="https://education.cosmosmagazine.com">Schools</a></li> <li id="menu-item-100218" class="menu-item menu-contact-us"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contact-us/">Contact us</a></li> <li id="menu-item-239226" class="menu-item menu-privacy-policy"><a rel="privacy-policy" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/privacy/">Privacy Policy</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="item about"> <p class="about">'Cosmos' and 'The Science of Everything' are registered trademarks in Australia and owned by CSIRO. </p> </div> <div class="item contact"> <p>T: 1300 719623 (Australia)<br /> E: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bed7d0d8d1feddd1cdd3d1cd90ddcdd7ccd190dfcb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0d64636b624d6e627e60627e236e7e647f62236c78">[email protected]</span></a></p> <p>Address:</p> <p>Cosmos,</p> <p>CSIRO Publishing,</p> <p>PO Box 10041,</p> <p>Adelaide SA 5001</p> <p>Australia</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="item newsletter"> <a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/OP59" class="newsletter-cta" data-device="desktop"> <img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAzMDAgMjUwIiB3aWR0aD0iMzAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMyUyRldlZWtseS1DYXRjaHVwLTMwMHgyNTAtMS5wbmciIGRhdGEtdz0iMzAwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+" data-spai="1" alt="Newsletter"><noscript data-spai="1"><img src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Weekly-Catchup-300x250-1.png" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Newsletter"></noscript> </a><a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/OP59" class="newsletter-cta" data-device="mobile"> <img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAzMDAgMjUwIiB3aWR0aD0iMzAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMyUyRldlZWtseS1DYXRjaHVwLTMwMHgyNTAtMS5wbmciIGRhdGEtdz0iMzAwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+" data-spai="1" alt="Newsletter"><noscript data-spai="1"><img src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Weekly-Catchup-300x250-1.png" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Newsletter"></noscript> </a> <ul class="social"> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CosmosMagazine/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" class="primary-svg-fill-hover" aria-label="Cosmos Facebook"><svg width="30" height="30"> <g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"> <circle cx="15" cy="15" r="14" stroke="#FFF" stroke-width="2"/> <path fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" d="M18 12.55075h-2.565572V10.5195c0-.6230625.594107-.7675625.8713992-.7675625h1.657358V7.01075L16.063679 7c-2.5916132 0-3.1831276 2.0439375-3.1831276 3.3545v2.1963125H11V15.375h1.8805514V23h2.5538766v-7.625h2.1694815L18 12.55075z"/> </g> </svg> </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/cosmosmagazine/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" class="primary-svg-fill-hover" aria-label="Cosmos Instagram"><svg width="30" height="30"> <g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"> <circle cx="15" cy="15" r="14" stroke="#FFF" stroke-width="2"/> <path fill="#FFF" d="M20.6086957 19.533913c0 .5930435-.4817392 1.0730435-1.0730435 1.0730435H10.466087c-.59304352 0-1.07478265-.48-1.07478265-1.0730435V15H11.133913c0 .0034783-.0017391.0052174-.0017391.0086957 0 2.133913 1.7356522 3.8695652 3.8678261 3.8695652 2.133913 0 3.8695652-1.7356522 3.8695652-3.8695652 0-.0034783-.0017391-.0052174-.0017391-.0086957h1.7408696v4.533913zM15 12.44c1.4191304 0 2.5704348 1.1495652 2.5704348 2.5686957 0 1.4191304-1.1513044 2.5704347-2.5704348 2.5704347-1.4191304 0-2.5686957-1.1513043-2.5686957-2.5704347C12.4313043 13.5895652 13.5808696 12.44 15 12.44zm2.573913-.0852174h2.0139131v-2.013913H17.573913v2.013913zM19.5356522 8H10.466087C9.10956522 8 8 9.10956522 8 10.4643478v9.0695652C8 20.8904348 9.10956522 22 10.466087 22h9.0695652C20.8904348 22 22 20.8904348 22 19.533913v-9.0695652C22 9.10956522 20.8904348 8 19.5356522 8z"/> </g> </svg> </a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/CosmosMagazine" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" class="primary-svg-fill-hover" aria-label="Cosmos Twitter"><svg width="30" height="30" viewBox="0 0 30 30" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"> <circle cx="15" cy="15" r="14" fill="none" stroke="white" stroke-width="2" /> <path transform="matrix(0.011189,0,0,0.011189,8.28657,8)" d="M714.163 519.284L1160.89 0H1055.03L667.137 450.887L357.328 0H0L468.492 681.821L0 1226.37H105.866L515.491 750.218L842.672 1226.37H1200L714.137 519.284H714.163ZM569.165 687.828L521.697 619.934L144.011 79.6944H306.615L611.412 515.685L658.88 583.579L1055.08 1150.3H892.476L569.165 687.854V687.828Z" fill="white" /> </g> </svg> </a></li> <li><a href="https://flipboard.com/@CosmosMagazine" target="_blank" class="primary-svg-fill-hover" aria-label="Cosmos Flipboard"><svg width="30" height="30"> <g > <circle cx="15" cy="15" r="14" stroke="#FFF" style="fill:none;stroke-width:2px;"/> <path fill="#FFF" transform="matrix(0.0466667,0,0,0.0466667,3.33333,3.33333)" d="M400,200L300,200L300,300L200,300L200,400L100,400L100,100L400,100L400,200Z"/> </g> </svg> </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1667224" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" class="primary-svg-fill-hover" aria-label="Cosmos Buzzsprout"><svg width="30" height="30"> <g> <circle cx="15" cy="15" r="14" stroke="#FFF" style="fill:none;stroke-width:2px;"/> <path fill="#FFF" d="M17.354,12.171L18.656,12.171L18.656,13.243C18.653,14.978 17.384,16.416 15.711,16.751L15.711,21.722L14.314,21.722L14.314,16.766C12.599,16.463 11.287,15.007 11.285,13.243L11.285,12.171L12.524,12.171L12.524,11.433L17.354,11.433L17.354,12.171ZM9.497,20.189C11.167,21.86 14.058,21.679 14.058,21.679C14.058,21.679 14.238,18.79 12.567,17.119C10.896,15.448 8.006,15.628 8.006,15.628C8.006,15.628 7.826,18.518 9.497,20.189ZM20.503,20.189C18.832,21.86 15.942,21.679 15.942,21.679C15.942,21.679 15.762,18.79 17.433,17.119C19.104,15.448 21.994,15.628 21.994,15.628C21.994,15.628 22.174,18.518 20.503,20.189ZM12.524,12.854L11.97,12.854L11.97,13.243C11.972,14.614 12.97,15.779 14.314,16.07L14.314,15.349C13.283,15.085 12.524,14.182 12.524,13.109L12.524,12.854ZM17.354,12.854L17.354,13.109C17.354,14.13 16.666,14.997 15.711,15.307L15.711,16.051C17.012,15.73 17.969,14.585 17.971,13.243L17.971,12.854L17.354,12.854ZM17.355,10.319C17.355,9.039 16.273,8 14.939,8C13.606,8 12.524,9.039 12.524,10.319C12.524,11.435 12.524,10.935 12.524,11.157L17.355,11.157L17.355,10.319Z" style="fill-rule:nonzero;"/> </g> </svg> </a></li> <li><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/feed" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" class="primary-svg-fill-hover" aria-label="Cosmos RSS feed"><svg width="30" height="30"> <defs/> <path fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" d="M15.0643691 0c8.2842713 0 15 6.71572875 15 15 0 8.2842712-6.7157287 15-15 15C6.7800979 30 .06436914 23.2842712.06436914 15c0-8.28427125 6.71572876-15 14.99999996-15zm0 2C7.8846674 2 2.06436914 7.82029825 2.06436914 15c0 7.1797017 5.82029826 13 12.99999996 13 7.1797018 0 13-5.8202983 13-13 0-7.17970175-5.8202982-13-13-13zM9.61448773 17.7505929c1.13224927 0 2.05011857.9178694 2.05011857 2.0501186s-.9178693 2.0501186-2.05011857 2.0501186c-1.13224923 0-2.05011859-.9178694-2.05011859-2.0501186s.91786936-2.0501186 2.05011859-2.0501186zm-2.05011859-5.4666412c5.18400766 0 9.41858876 4.1452018 9.56306776 9.2949295l.0038106.2719489h-2.7328081c0-3.6896155-2.939535-6.7050347-6.59949854-6.8290758l-.23457172-.0039695v-2.7338331zm0-4.7839517c7.80933326 0 14.18116996 6.2690823 14.34749786 14.0392347l.0033322.3115954h-2.732808c0-6.3080572-5.0522841-11.4563946-11.32319518-11.6133119l-.29482688-.0036851V7.5z"/> </svg></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </footer> <script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script><script> const paywallButton = document.querySelector('.wp-block-button__link'); function paywall_click_datalayer() { dataLayer.push({ 'event': 'paywall_click', 'paywall_name': '', 'page_location': 'https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/grand-canyons-on-the-moon/' }); } if (paywallButton) { paywallButton.addEventListener('click', function() { paywall_click_datalayer(); }); } </script> <script> let previousMobileDevice = isMobileDevice(); // Request ads on page resize window.addEventListener('resize', function() { clearTimeout(window.resizedFinished); window.resizedFinished = setTimeout(function() { if (previousMobileDevice === isMobileDevice()) { return; } adUnitsServed = []; previousMobileDevice = isMobileDevice(); adUnitsServed = requestThirdPartyAds(adUnits, adUnitsServed); }, 1000); }); /** Handle loadmore article */ const handleLoadmore = (mutationsList) => { for (let mutation of mutationsList) { if (mutation.type === 'childList') { for (let addedNode of mutation.addedNodes) { if (addedNode.nodeType === Node.ELEMENT_NODE && addedNode.matches('section.article-container')) { // Fixed the selector here clearTimeout(window.domHeightChangeFinished); window.domHeightChangeFinished = setTimeout(() => { // console.log('The specific <section> was added!'); adUnitsServed = requestThirdPartyAds(adUnits, adUnitsServed); }, 250); } } } } }; const loadmoreNode = document.getElementById('single-post-load-more-content'); if (loadmoreNode) { const observer = new MutationObserver(handleLoadmore); observer.observe(loadmoreNode, { childList: true, subtree: false // This is set false because we only want to observe direct children of the target node }); } /** END: Handle loadmore article */ // Prevents the page from jumping when the ad loads adUnitsServed.forEach(function(adUnit) { let adUnitDiv = document.getElementById(adUnit.targetId); let adUnitDivParentClass = adUnitDiv.parentNode.className; if (!adUnitDiv || adUnitDivParentClassArray.includes(adUnitDivParentClass)) { return; } adUnitDivParentClassArray.push(adUnitDivParentClass); let adUnitDivStyle = window.getComputedStyle(adUnitDiv); let adUnitDivHeight = parseInt(adUnit.auH) + parseInt(adUnitDivStyle.marginTop) + parseInt(adUnitDivStyle.marginBottom) + parseInt(adUnitDivStyle.paddingTop) + parseInt(adUnitDivStyle.paddingBottom); let style = document.createElement('style'); style.type = 'text/css'; style.innerHTML = '.' + adUnitDivParentClass.replace(/ /g, '.') + ' { min-height: ' + adUnitDivHeight + 'px; }'; document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(style); }); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> (function () { var c = document.body.className; c = c.replace(/woocommerce-no-js/, 'woocommerce-js'); document.body.className = c; })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript" id="metorik-js-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var metorik_params = {"lifetime":"6","session":"30","ajaxurl":"https:\/\/cosmosmagazine.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","cart_tracking":"1","cart_items":"0","cart_checkout_button":"1","add_cart_popup_placement":"bottom","send_cart_events":"added_to_cart removed_from_cart updated_cart_totals updated_shipping_method applied_coupon removed_coupon updated_checkout","sbjs_domain":"","send_cart_fragments":"1"}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script defer src="https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/cache/minify/ddaa7.js?x44402"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="sage/main.js-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var mainScript = {"ajaxUrl":"https:\/\/cosmosmagazine.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","ajax_nonce":"19c7a1c307","is_user_logged_in":""}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script src="/wp-content/themes/cosmos/dist/scripts/main.js?x44402&v=933e45e0"></script><script type="text/javascript" id="loadmore-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var siteConfig = {"ajaxUrl":"https:\/\/cosmosmagazine.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","ajax_nonce":"b6c3a13c4d"}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script defer src="https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/cache/minify/fef85.js?x44402"></script> <script src="https://cdn.onesignal.com/sdks/OneSignalSDK.js?ver=6.7.2'%20async='async"></script> </div> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

Grand canyons on the Moon were created in just minutes