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ANTIPODES on the MOON J.F.Rodionova, E.A.Kozlova

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ANTIPODES on the MOON J.F.Rodionova, E.A.Kozlova Lunar and Planetary Science XXXI 1349.pdf ANTIPODES ON THE MOON J.F.Rodionova, E.A.Kozlova Sternberg State Astronomical Institute, Russia Laser altimetry data from accidental coincidence of the antipodes Clementine has allowed to determine is very little (4). some of nearly obliterated multiring The aim of the paper is an basins on the Moon that could not be attempt to reveal antipodes for the new determined on the basis of previous basins detected by the Clementine surveying. The Mendel-Rydberg altimetry. The fact is that the Mutus- Basin, a degraded three ring feature Vlacq Basin is the antipode of the with 630 km in diameter to the south Birkhoff Basin and Friendlich- of Mare Orientale is about 6 km deep Sharonov is the antipode of Mare from rim to floor (1). The Coulomb- Nubium. The detailed data of the all Sarton Basin has been discovered on revealed antipodes is given in Fig. 1.. the northwestern portion of the lunar There is no antipode for the Coulomb- far side. Clementine altimetry reveals a Sarton Basin, but there is Rheita Vallis basin about 490 km in diameter on its place. averaging 6 km in depth, rim to floor. The real nature of the antipodes Tree basins in diameter more than 600 is not clear now. The possibility of km were revealed in the neighbour of convergence of the waves in the the craters Freundlich-Sharonov, antipodal point of the impact is Tsiolkovskiy-Stark, Lomonosov- discussed in some papers. Schults and Fleming. The Mutus-Vlacq Basin an Gault (5) consider that formation of ancient feature on the near side was large basin on the terrestrial planets detected by the altimetry. It is about must have generated large scale 700 km in diameter and averages about seismic effect and could produce or 3 km in depth. There are another two enhance deep seated crustal weakness. basins on the near side in diameter 350 On the example of the Earth it was km not far from the crater Atlas and shown in the paper (6) that the strains 300km in diameter near the crater at the surface near the antipode Darwin (1). (angular distance equal 180 degrees) It was shown in the paper (2) are orders of magnitude higher than that 11 from 12 basins has been those over most of the rest of the revealed by the «Luna3», «Zond 3» surface and antipodal focusing of and «Lunar Orbiter» pictures of the far impact energy within the mantle may side correspond to maria formations lead to flood basalt and hot spot diametrically opposite on the near side. activity. For example: Mare Ingenii - antipode References of Mare Imbrium, Korolev - Mare 1. Spudis P. D. et al (1994) Science, v. 266, Tranquillitatis, Hertzsprung - Mare pp 1848-1851. Fecunditatis, Mare Moscoviense - 2. Lipskiy Yu.N., Rodionova Zh. F. (1972) Mare Humorum. Yet another Astronomicheskiy Tsirkular, N 712, p. 3-7. peculiarity has been noted in the 3. Lipskiy Yu.N., Rodionova Zh.F. (1977) The Soviet-American Conference on distribution of the antipodes on the cosmochemistry of the Moon and planets, surface of the Moon: most of them are Washington, pp. 755-761. located within the limits of 2 mutually 4. Rodionova Zh. F.,Surdin V.G.. (1981) perpendicular circles. The first circle Astronomicheskiy tsircular, N 1180, p. 4-6. passes through the Mare Imbrium and 5. Schults P.H., Gault D.E. (1975) The Moon, Mare Ingenii. The second circle passes v 12, N2, pp. 159-177. through Mare Humorum and Mare 6. Boslough M.B., Chael E.P. (1994) LPSC XXV,pp.145-146. Moscovience (3). Probability of Lunar and Planetary Science XXXI 1349.pdf J.F.Rodionova, E.A.Kozlova Antipodes on the Moon.
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