How does the topography surrounding the South Pole contrast with the near side’s mare regions?

Answer

It is intensely fractured and heavily impacted, unlike the relatively flat mare plains.

The topography of the lunar South Pole region is fundamentally different from the near side's maria. Mare regions, such as those on the Moon's near side, are characterized as relatively flat plains formed billions of years ago by ancient lava flows that smoothed out the surface. In stark contrast, the South Polar area presents an extraordinarily complex, rugged, and three-dimensional challenge. It is characterized by an intensely fractured landscape resulting from billions of years of continuous bombardment, featuring massive impact basins like the Aitken Basin. This terrain includes numerous craters of varying sizes, which create enormous, deep, stable shadows, making navigation and landing significantly more difficult than on smoother, more uniform equatorial landing sites.

How does the topography surrounding the South Pole contrast with the near side’s mare regions?

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What's So Special About The Moon's South Pole - YouTube

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