Science. 1994 Dec 16;266(5192):1848-51. doi: 10.1126/science.266.5192.1848.
Analysis of laser altimetry data from Clementine has confirmed and extended our knowledge of nearly obliterated multiring basins on the moon. These basins were formed during the early bombardment phase of lunar history, have been filled to varying degrees by mare lavas and regional ejecta blankets, and have been degraded by the superposition of large impact craters. The Mendel-Rydberg Basin, a degraded three-ring feature over 600 kilometers in diameter on the lunar western limb, is about 6 kilometers deep from rim to floor, only slightly less deep than the nearby younger and much better preserved Orientale Basin (8 kilometers deep). The South Pole-Aitken Basin, the oldest discernible impact feature on the moon, is revealed as a basin 2500 kilometers in diameter with an average depth of more than 13 kilometers, rim crest to floor. This feature is the largest, deepest impact crater yet discovered in the solar system. Several additional depressions seen in the data may represent previously unmapped ancient impact basins.
克莱门汀号激光高度计数据的分析结果证实并扩展了我们对月球上几乎被湮没的多环盆地的认识。这些盆地形成于月球历史早期的强烈撞击阶段，已被月海熔岩和区域性喷射物覆盖层填充到不同程度，并因大型撞击坑的叠加而遭到破坏。门德尔-里德伯盆地是一个直径超过 600 公里的退化的三环特征，位于月球西边缘，从边缘到底部深约 6 公里，仅略小于附近年轻得多、保存得更好的东方盆地（深 8 公里）。南极-艾肯盆地是月球上最早发现的可识别的撞击特征，它显示为一个直径 2500 公里、平均深度超过 13 公里的盆地，从边缘到底部。这个特征是太阳系中迄今发现的最大、最深的撞击坑。数据中看到的其他几个洼地可能代表以前未绘制地图的古老撞击盆地。
