Authors
Tyler M Powell, Benjamin T Greenhagen, Tyler Horvath, Jean-Pierre Williams, Elisha Jhoti, Emerson J Speyerer, Catherine M Elder, David A Paige
Published in
Science advances. Volume 12. Issue 38. Pages eaeh9568. Sep 18, 2026. Epub Sep 16, 2026.
Abstract
A new ∼222-meter-diameter impact crater formed on the Moon in spring 2024. Discovered in repeat Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images, it provides a unique opportunity to study surface modification by a pristine impact, prior to subsequent fading. Nighttime temperatures measured by the Diviner instrument reveal an ∼7-kilometer-wide cold spot that is 8 to 9 kelvin cooler than its surroundings, consistent with decompaction of the upper centimeters to decimeters of regolith. We investigate all newly formed craters >20 meters identified to date and find that all craters larger than ∼30 meters produce detectable cold spots, indicating that cold spot formation is a common consequence of fresh lunar impacts. Cold spot temperature anomaly increases with crater size, implying deeper regolith modification around larger craters. This scaling suggests that the cumulative effect of cold spot formation may modify the shallow regolith at rates comparable to impact gardening by primary craters, making them a substantial driver of regolith evolution on regolith-covered airless bodies.
PMID:
42748253
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Sep 2026.
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