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

• 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

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