The Schrödinger basin on the lunar farside is ~320 km in diameter and the best-preserved
peak-ring basin of its size in the Earth–Moon system. Spectral and photogeologic analyses of
data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument on the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft and the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) on the LRO spacecraft indicate the peak ring is
composed of anorthositic, noritic, and troctolitic lithologies that were juxtaposed by several
cross-cutting faults during peak ring formation. Hydrocode simulations indicate the lithologies
were uplifted from depths up to 30 km, representing the crust of the lunar farside. Combining
2
geological and remote-sensing observations with numerical modeling, here we show a Displaced
Structural Uplift model is best for peak rings, including that in the K-T Chicxulub impact crater
on Earth. These results may help guide sample selection in lunar sample return missions that are
being studied for the multi-agency International Space Exploration Coordination Group.
Determining which lunar landing site may yield information about the lunar interior is very
important with impact basins usually the best sites. Kring et al. provide a geological map of the
Schrödinger basin on the moon via a multidisciplinary approach of remote sensing and numerical
modeling.