Density Structure of the Von Kármán Crater in the Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Initial Subsurface Interpretation of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site Region

The Von Kármán Crater, within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin, is the landing site of China’s Chang’E-4 mission. To complement the in situ exploration mission and provide initial subsurface interpretation, we applied a 3D density inversion using the Gravity Re...

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Main Authors: Chikondi Chisenga, Jianguo Yan, Jiannan Zhao, Qingyun Deng, Jean-Pierre Barriot
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-10-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/20/4445
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spelling doaj-eb71158e7ec64b4b887df12be043ea912020-11-25T01:56:45ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202019-10-011920444510.3390/s19204445s19204445Density Structure of the Von Kármán Crater in the Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Initial Subsurface Interpretation of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site RegionChikondi Chisenga0Jianguo Yan1Jiannan Zhao2Qingyun Deng3Jean-Pierre Barriot4State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS), Wuhan University, Box 129, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430070, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS), Wuhan University, Box 129, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430070, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Geological Process and Mineral Resources, Planetary Science Institute, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS), Wuhan University, Box 129, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430070, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS), Wuhan University, Box 129, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430070, ChinaThe Von K&#225;rm&#225;n Crater, within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin, is the landing site of China&#8217;s Chang&#8217;E-4 mission. To complement the in situ exploration mission and provide initial subsurface interpretation, we applied a 3D density inversion using the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) gravity data. We constrain our inversion method using known geological and geophysical lunar parameters to reduce the non-uniqueness associated with gravity inversion. The 3D density models reveal vertical and lateral density variations, 2600&#8722;3200 kg/m<sup>3</sup>, assigned to the changing porosity beneath the Von K&#225;rm&#225;n Crater. We also identify two mass excess anomalies in the crust with a steep density contrast of 150 kg/m<sup>3</sup>, which were suggested to have been caused by multiple impact cratering. The anomalies from recovered near surface density models, together with the gravity derivative maps extending to the lower crust, are consistent with surface geological manifestation of excavated mantle materials from remote sensing studies. Therefore, we suggest that the density distribution of the Von K&#225;rm&#225;n Crater indicates multiple episodes of impact cratering that resulted in formation and destruction of ancient craters, with crustal reworking and excavation of mantle materials.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/20/4445von kármán craterdensity structuregravity inversionchang’e-4 mission
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Chikondi Chisenga
Jianguo Yan
Jiannan Zhao
Qingyun Deng
Jean-Pierre Barriot
spellingShingle Chikondi Chisenga
Jianguo Yan
Jiannan Zhao
Qingyun Deng
Jean-Pierre Barriot
Density Structure of the Von Kármán Crater in the Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Initial Subsurface Interpretation of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site Region
Sensors
von kármán crater
density structure
gravity inversion
chang’e-4 mission
author_facet Chikondi Chisenga
Jianguo Yan
Jiannan Zhao
Qingyun Deng
Jean-Pierre Barriot
author_sort Chikondi Chisenga
title Density Structure of the Von Kármán Crater in the Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Initial Subsurface Interpretation of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site Region
title_short Density Structure of the Von Kármán Crater in the Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Initial Subsurface Interpretation of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site Region
title_full Density Structure of the Von Kármán Crater in the Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Initial Subsurface Interpretation of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site Region
title_fullStr Density Structure of the Von Kármán Crater in the Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Initial Subsurface Interpretation of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site Region
title_full_unstemmed Density Structure of the Von Kármán Crater in the Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Initial Subsurface Interpretation of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site Region
title_sort density structure of the von kármán crater in the northwestern south pole-aitken basin: initial subsurface interpretation of the chang’e-4 landing site region
publisher MDPI AG
series Sensors
issn 1424-8220
publishDate 2019-10-01
description The Von K&#225;rm&#225;n Crater, within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin, is the landing site of China&#8217;s Chang&#8217;E-4 mission. To complement the in situ exploration mission and provide initial subsurface interpretation, we applied a 3D density inversion using the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) gravity data. We constrain our inversion method using known geological and geophysical lunar parameters to reduce the non-uniqueness associated with gravity inversion. The 3D density models reveal vertical and lateral density variations, 2600&#8722;3200 kg/m<sup>3</sup>, assigned to the changing porosity beneath the Von K&#225;rm&#225;n Crater. We also identify two mass excess anomalies in the crust with a steep density contrast of 150 kg/m<sup>3</sup>, which were suggested to have been caused by multiple impact cratering. The anomalies from recovered near surface density models, together with the gravity derivative maps extending to the lower crust, are consistent with surface geological manifestation of excavated mantle materials from remote sensing studies. Therefore, we suggest that the density distribution of the Von K&#225;rm&#225;n Crater indicates multiple episodes of impact cratering that resulted in formation and destruction of ancient craters, with crustal reworking and excavation of mantle materials.
topic von kármán crater
density structure
gravity inversion
chang’e-4 mission
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/20/4445
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