How does the SPA’s location and formation contribute to understanding the lunar dichotomy?
Answer
It may represent one of the last impacts capable of penetrating the generally thicker crust of the far side.
The South Pole–Aitken basin resides on the far side of the Moon, which is generally characterized by having a substantially thicker crust compared to the near side, where large maria are prevalent. The magnitude of the SPA impact suggests that it was an extremely rare event, possibly among the final collisions powerful enough to breach that thick crustal layer, making the resultant exposure of deep material exceptionally unique to the far hemisphere.
Related Questions
What distinction does the South Pole–Aitken basin hold in the entire Solar System known to date?What is the approximate diameter stretching across the South Pole–Aitken basin?How deep does the South Pole–Aitken basin plunge below the surrounding plain?How does the material found within the SPA basin floor compare chemically to the Moon’s maria?What geophysical finding was detected deep underneath the gigantic South Pole–Aitken structure?Why was the South Pole–Aitken basin difficult to study clearly before the start of space exploration?What geological process resulted from the SPA impact's immense energy release early in lunar history?How does the SPA event compare conceptually to the formation of features like Tycho or Copernicus craters?Which specific crater, mentioned in the basin's name, is actually situated within the boundaries of the larger South Pole–Aitken basin?How does the SPA’s location and formation contribute to understanding the lunar dichotomy?