Scientists have made a fascinating discovery that has radically changed our understanding of the age of the Moon’s surface. Researchers from Norway and France have conclusively determined that the Moon’s crater landscape formed much earlier than previously thought.

The focus of attention of experts was the massive collapse of Imbrium, known as one of the largest craters in the Solar System. Previous research said its age was about 3.9 billion years, but new data point to a much older period – up to 4.1 billion years.

An important factor in determining the new age of the Moon was the use of various dating systems, including rock samples collected by astronauts during the Apollo missions.

Professor Stefanie Werner, from the University of Oslo, who presented the results of the study at a conference on geochemistry, said the new discovery points to important regions of the Moon’s crust that are 200 million years older than previously thought.