A South Pole–Aitken impact origin of the lunar compositional asymmetry

The formation of the largest and most ancient lunar impact basin, South Pole–Aitken (SPA), was a defining event in the Moon's evolution. Using numerical simulations, we show that widespread mantle heating from the SPA impact can catalyze the formation of the long-lived nearside-farside lunar as...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science Advances
Main Authors: Jones, Matt J., Evans, Alexander J., Johnson, Brandon C., Weller, Matthew B., Andrews-Hanna, Jeffrey C., Tikoo, Sonia M., Keane, James Tuttle
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science 2022
Subjects:
Lunar craters
Aitken
Sonia
South Pole
Weller
South pole
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11753/1794
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm8475
Description
Summary:The formation of the largest and most ancient lunar impact basin, South Pole–Aitken (SPA), was a defining event in the Moon's evolution. Using numerical simulations, we show that widespread mantle heating from the SPA impact can catalyze the formation of the long-lived nearside-farside lunar asymmetry in incompatible elements and surface volcanic deposits, which has remained unexplained since its discovery in the Apollo era. Matt J. Jones, Alexander J. Evans, Brandon C. Johnson, Matthew B. Weller, Jeffrey C. Andrews-Hanna, Sonia M. Tikoo, James T. Keane

Similar Items