Formation of Lunar Orientale Basin During Late Heavy Bombardment

Approximately 3.8 billion years ago, a large asteroid or comet estimated at 50-100 kilometers in diameter struck the Moon, creating the Orientale Basin. The impact formed a multi-ring structure approximately 930 kilometers across with terraced walls and concentric rings from ejected material that fell back to the surface. Apollo mission samples provided radiometric dating evidence for this basin-forming event. The Orientale Basin represents one of the final major impacts of the Late Heavy Bombardment period that affected terrestrial planets in the Solar System.