This paper maps over 800 sites of plains terrains in the Moon's south polar region (~46,000 km²), showing higher albedo and lower iron content than volcanic mare plains. This suggests an origin from ejecta-induced debris flows from distant impact craters, particularly the Schrödinger basin. The findings indicate the lunar south polar region experienced contributions from distant basin materials, making these plains priority landing sites for future exploration of lunar polar volatiles and early bombardment history.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Jul 10, 2024
Authors
Le Qiao, Luyuan Xu, James W. Head, Jian Chen, Yuzheng Zhang, Bo Li, Zongcheng Ling
Tags
Moon
south polar region
plains terrains
ejecta-induced debris
impact craters
exploration
lunar volatiles
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