Isostasy in lunar mascon areas: comparison between far side and near side
Abstract
We have studied the isostatic response on mascon loading for impact basins on the far side and near side to determine geophysical properties and geodynamic processes on the Moon. We modeled the isostatic rebound for Maria Orientale, Moscoviense and the South Pole Aitken Basin (far side); Maria Humorum, Imbrium and Serenitates (near side). High positive gravity anomalies on the Moon coincide with the low topography of impact basins. It is currently accepted that this results from disruption of the lithosphere by basin forming impacts that triggered superisostatic uplift of the mantle. It has been observed that gravity anomalies are lower in ancient basins as a function of time (Neumann et al., 1998), which suggests that they are closer to isostatic equilibrium than younger ones. Our numerical modeling includes basins of varying ages and considers lateral variations of lithospheric properties such as thickness and density. We used gravity data from the Clementine mission and sample analyses from e.g. Apollo17 to determine input values for our models. Clementine and SMART-1 images were studied for comparison between structures on the lunar surface and those predicted by models of mascon loading.
- Publication:
-
European Planetary Science Congress 2008
- Pub Date:
- September 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008epsc.conf..133P