ISTANBUL

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.

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.