Diverse Geological Evolution of Impact Basins on the Moon
Impact basins are the dominant landforms on the lunar surface, and their geological evolution varies. This research studied the diversity in the geological evolution of three impact basins: the Dirichlet–Jackson Basin, the <i>Nectaris</i> Basin, and the <i>Orientale</i> Basin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/24/6335 |
| _version_ | 1797455460528291840 |
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| author | Jiayin Deng Weiming Cheng Yimeng Jiao |
| author_facet | Jiayin Deng Weiming Cheng Yimeng Jiao |
| author_sort | Jiayin Deng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Impact basins are the dominant landforms on the lunar surface, and their geological evolution varies. This research studied the diversity in the geological evolution of three impact basins: the Dirichlet–Jackson Basin, the <i>Nectaris</i> Basin, and the <i>Orientale</i> Basin. First, the regional topography and geomorphology of the three basins were studied using the SLDEM2015 digital elevation model (DEM). Clementine ultraviolet–visible (UVVIS) data and Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data were used to study the chemical composition and mineralogical composition of the three basins. Additionally, the lunar crust thickness data have been used to study the subsurface structure of the three basins. The topographical analogies of the three basins indicate that the shapes of the basins are cavity-like. However, the shape of the Dirichlet–Jackson basin is not an obvious cavity compared with the other basins. The positions with minimum and maximum crustal thickness of the three basins are located at the center and the rim. The uplift of the crust-mantle interface of the <i>Nectaris</i> Basin and <i>Orientale</i> Basin is relatively larger than in the Dirichlet–Jackson Basin. Below the center of the maria of the <i>Nectaris</i> Basin and <i>Orientale</i> Basin, collapses occurred at the crust–mantle interface. The concentrations of FeO and TiO<sub>2</sub> in the non-mare formation of the basin and maria show expected bimodal distributions. Moreover, we found exposures of olivine-rich materials in the <i>Nectaris</i> Basin and <i>Orientale</i> Basin which are located in the Rosse and Maunder craters, respectively. These exposures of olivine may be explained by the fact that the formation of the large impact basin, which might penetrate and blast away the upper lunar crust, excavating deep-seated material. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:53:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c1eb706285b4361aeed73833e896d7a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:53:45Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c1eb706285b4361aeed73833e896d7a2023-11-24T17:48:02ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-12-011424633510.3390/rs14246335Diverse Geological Evolution of Impact Basins on the MoonJiayin Deng0Weiming Cheng1Yimeng Jiao2State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaImpact basins are the dominant landforms on the lunar surface, and their geological evolution varies. This research studied the diversity in the geological evolution of three impact basins: the Dirichlet–Jackson Basin, the <i>Nectaris</i> Basin, and the <i>Orientale</i> Basin. First, the regional topography and geomorphology of the three basins were studied using the SLDEM2015 digital elevation model (DEM). Clementine ultraviolet–visible (UVVIS) data and Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data were used to study the chemical composition and mineralogical composition of the three basins. Additionally, the lunar crust thickness data have been used to study the subsurface structure of the three basins. The topographical analogies of the three basins indicate that the shapes of the basins are cavity-like. However, the shape of the Dirichlet–Jackson basin is not an obvious cavity compared with the other basins. The positions with minimum and maximum crustal thickness of the three basins are located at the center and the rim. The uplift of the crust-mantle interface of the <i>Nectaris</i> Basin and <i>Orientale</i> Basin is relatively larger than in the Dirichlet–Jackson Basin. Below the center of the maria of the <i>Nectaris</i> Basin and <i>Orientale</i> Basin, collapses occurred at the crust–mantle interface. The concentrations of FeO and TiO<sub>2</sub> in the non-mare formation of the basin and maria show expected bimodal distributions. Moreover, we found exposures of olivine-rich materials in the <i>Nectaris</i> Basin and <i>Orientale</i> Basin which are located in the Rosse and Maunder craters, respectively. These exposures of olivine may be explained by the fact that the formation of the large impact basin, which might penetrate and blast away the upper lunar crust, excavating deep-seated material.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/24/6335moonimpact basinsgeological featureschemical compositionmineralogical composition |
| spellingShingle | Jiayin Deng Weiming Cheng Yimeng Jiao Diverse Geological Evolution of Impact Basins on the Moon Remote Sensing moon impact basins geological features chemical composition mineralogical composition |
| title | Diverse Geological Evolution of Impact Basins on the Moon |
| title_full | Diverse Geological Evolution of Impact Basins on the Moon |
| title_fullStr | Diverse Geological Evolution of Impact Basins on the Moon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diverse Geological Evolution of Impact Basins on the Moon |
| title_short | Diverse Geological Evolution of Impact Basins on the Moon |
| title_sort | diverse geological evolution of impact basins on the moon |
| topic | moon impact basins geological features chemical composition mineralogical composition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/24/6335 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jiayindeng diversegeologicalevolutionofimpactbasinsonthemoon AT weimingcheng diversegeologicalevolutionofimpactbasinsonthemoon AT yimengjiao diversegeologicalevolutionofimpactbasinsonthemoon |