Using radio tracking data and making some simple assumptions about the nature of the lunar crust, we can use Clementine data to map the variations in the thickness of the lunar crust. The crust is thickest beneath the high-standing highlands of the farside and is thinnest under the floors of some of the large multiring basins of the Moon. This map suggests that the mantle of the Moon may be as close to the surface as a few tens of kilometers in some areas. Map by Maria Zuber and associates, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. Right
click here to download a high-resolution version of the image (7.96
MB) |
