Structure and Morphology of the Moon's South Pole-Aitken Basin from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA)

Details Structure and Morphology of the Moon's South Pole-Aitken Basin from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) Structure and Morphology of the Moon's South Pole-Aitken Basin from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA)

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.u21c..06z&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #U21C-06

Mathematics

Logic

[5420] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Impact Phenomena, Cratering, [6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon

Scientific paper

The South Pole-Aitken basin is the largest and oldest impact structure on the Moon and one of the largest impact basins in the solar system. As such, it preserves the record of how major impacts disrupt early planetary crusts and how topography on an airless planet is modified throughout geologic history by subsequent impacts, volcanism, tectonics, viscous relaxation and possible internal dynamics. While in the ~30 km x 200 km commissioning orbit of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) has collected the highest-resolution precision topographic data set yet assembled of the southern hemisphere of the Moon. LOLA maps the lunar surface at a 28-Hz rate with 5 beams that in the 50-km LRO mapping orbit result in 5-m spots spaced 50-m apart along track with profiles along a given track 10-12 m apart. These observations enable the most detailed quantitative morphologic characterization yet possible of a major impact basin. We compare the structure of the basin floor with that of surrounding highlands, including the geometric properties of craters within and exterior to the basin. In addition, we map proposed ring remnants possible ejecta distributions and characterize deviations from circular symmetry, interpreting results in the context of basin formation and modification. We also examine the depth/diameter relationships of superposed craters to estimate the depth of post-SPA basin subfloor sampling and mare fill thickness.

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