What geological consequence results locally beneath the South Pole-Aitken impact point?
Answer
Localized thinning of the lunar crust
The mechanics of an impact as colossal as the one that formed the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) had a profound effect on the structure immediately beneath where the impactor struck. The colossal force fractured and compressed the existing crust, leading to a localized thinning of that crustal layer directly underneath the impact site. This thinning creates a distinct geological boundary layer. This structural modification, coupled with the settling of the dense impactor remnant as a mass anomaly, makes the area beneath the SPA a critical natural laboratory for studying impact physics.
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