Stratigraphy of the Von Kármán Crater Based on Chang'E‐4 Lunar Penetrating Radar Data

Abstract

Abstract The Chang'E‐4 (CE‐4) achieved the first successful soft landing on the floor of the Von Kármán crater located in the northeast of the South Pole‐Aitken (SPA) basin on the Moon. Here, through analysis and processing of the dual‐channel lunar penetrating radar (LPR) data, the shallow regolith structure and deep geological strata below the landing site are exposed. The high‐frequency data (CH‐2, 500 MHz) show that the Von Kármán crater underwent remodeling because of ejecta from multiple craters within a thickness of 40 m. Under the surface fine‐grained regolith, superpositions among these crater materials and mare basalt units establish shallow regolith stratigraphic sequences. The low‐frequency data (CH‐1, 60 MHz) show a deep stratigraphic structure to the depth of 360 m that indicates the previous geological evolution history of the Von Kármán crater. The LPR results provide an important scientific basis for understanding the geological history of the far side of the Moon.