CHINESE SCIENTISTS REVISE LUNAR CRATER TIMELINE IN MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH

Sun 08 February 2026:

Chinese scientists have confirmed that impact cratering rates on the near and far sides of the moon are consistent, a finding that could provide a solid foundation for establishing a globally unified lunar chronology system, state media reported Sunday.

A research team led by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences revised the decades-old lunar impact crater chronology model by analyzing remote sensing images, Beijing-based Xinhua News reported.

The study, published last week in the journal Science Advances, found a uniform impact flux across both hemispheres of the moon. It also provides evidence that early lunar impact events followed a smooth, gradual decline rather than the dramatic fluctuations proposed in earlier theories.

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Determining the age of the lunar surface is critical to understanding the moon’s geological evolution. Scientists have traditionally estimated the age of unsampled regions by counting impact craters, with a higher density indicating an older surface.

Until now, crater chronology models relied entirely on samples collected from the moon’s near side, with the oldest specimens dating back no more than 4 billion years. That limitation fueled long-standing debate over the moon’s early impact history, including competing theories such as the Late Heavy Bombardment.

China’s Chang’e-6 mission returned to Earth in June 2024 carrying 1,935 grams of lunar samples collected from the Apollo Basin, located within the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the moon’s far side. Scientists say the mission’s data and samples were key to validating the revised chronology model.

-Source: AA

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