Geological evidence for extensive basin ejecta as plains terrains in the Moon's South Polar Region.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38987267.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-50155-w and PMC identifier 11237148.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Water ice and other volatiles that accumulated in the Moon's polar regions are among the top priority targets for lunar exploration, due to their significances in both lunar geology and extraterrestrial resource utilization. Locating suitable landing sites and determining the provenance of sampled/measured surface materials are critical for future landed missions. Here, we map over 800 sites of plains terrains in the Moon's south polar region, with a total surface area of ~46,000 km2. Orbital measurements and analog studies show that most of these plains have apparently higher albedo and lower iron content than volcanic mare plains, suggesting an origin of ejecta-induced debris flows from distant impact craters, especially from the Schrödinger basin. Our findings suggest that the entire lunar south polar region probably have experienced contributions from distant basin materials. We recommend these plains as priority landing sites for future exploration of lunar polar volatiles and early bombardment history.