Crustal-mantle layering deposits in the Von Kármán crater, South Pole-Aitken basin

Abstract

<p>Comprehending the properties of the Moon's crust and mantle materials is essential for decoding its interior. Whether the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin potentially excavated the upper mantle materials remains mysterious. The Chang'E Four Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) has provided an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the SPA basin in the Von Kármán (VK) crater. Utilizing a data-driven generative deep learning inversion algorithm, the subsurface physical properties along the Yutu-2 path were determined. 4 distinct deposit zones were discovered beneath the surface. All zones feature an upper low-permittivity (paleo-)regolith layer overlaying on a lower high-permittivity layer of rockier ejecta or basal basalt. Zone 1, an ejecta layer from the Finsen crater within the SPA Compositional Anomaly, has a bulk density (2.81±0.99 g/cm³) denser than that of highland crust represented by materials originating from VKL and VKL' craters in the Mg-Pyroxene Annulus, which are present in Zones 2 and 3. This suggests the possible presence of mantle materials in Zone 1, providing the first diagnostic evidence that the SPA impact may have penetrated the upper lunar mantle.</p>