What unusual feature is detected beneath the floor of the South Pole-Aitken Basin?

Answer

A mass anomaly suggesting a dense remnant settled deep below

A key and complex feature associated with the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) is the detection of a significant mass anomaly located directly beneath the basin floor. This gravity structure suggests that the colossal impactor which struck the Moon did not completely dissipate or vaporize upon collision. Instead, a large, dense remnant of the impactor likely settled deep within the Moon, possibly reaching the boundary layer between the mantle and the core. Scientists estimate the concentration of this mass to be equivalent to a staggering block of material weighing roughly a billion billion tons, providing critical data about the impact mechanics and the Moon's deep structure.

What unusual feature is detected beneath the floor of the South Pole-Aitken Basin?

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What is the approximate vertical drop depth of the South Pole-Aitken Basin floor below surrounding lunar terrain?Where on the Moon is the South Pole-Aitken Basin primarily located?How wide does the South Pole-Aitken Basin stretch across the lunar surface?What unusual feature is detected beneath the floor of the South Pole-Aitken Basin?What scientific advantage does the SPA Basin offer due to its extreme depth?Which other large impact structures on Mercury and Mars are noted for their colossal scale similar to SPA?What geological consequence results locally beneath the South Pole-Aitken impact point?How does the depth of the relatively fresh Tycho Crater compare to the SPA Basin?What specific elements, such as iron and thorium, identified via orbiters, provide clues about the Moon's differentiation in the SPA region?What is the significance of Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) found near the SPA Basin, such as in Shackleton Crater?
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