Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA.
Science. 2010 Aug 20;329(5994):936-40. doi: 10.1126/science.1189590.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images reveal previously undetected lobate thrust-fault scarps and associated meter-scale secondary tectonic landforms that include narrow extensional troughs or graben, splay faults, and multiple low-relief terraces. Lobate scarps are among the youngest landforms on the Moon, based on their generally crisp appearance, lack of superposed large-diameter impact craters, and the existence of crosscut small-diameter impact craters. Identification of previously known scarps was limited to high-resolution Apollo Panoramic Camera images confined to the equatorial zone. Fourteen lobate scarps were identified, seven of which are at latitudes greater than +/-60 degrees, indicating that the thrust faults are globally distributed. This detection, coupled with the very young apparent age of the faults, suggests global late-stage contraction of the Moon.
月球勘测轨道飞行器相机图像揭示了以前未被发现的叶状冲断层陡崖和相关的米级二级构造地貌，包括狭窄的伸展槽或堑沟、扇状断层和多个低海拔阶地。叶状陡崖是月球上最年轻的地貌之一，这基于它们通常鲜明的外观、缺乏叠加的大直径撞击坑以及存在横穿的小直径撞击坑。以前已知的陡崖的识别仅限于局限在赤道区域的高分辨率阿波罗全景相机图像。已经确定了 14 个叶状陡崖，其中 7 个位于纬度大于 +/-60 度的地区，这表明冲断层是全球分布的。这种探测，加上这些断层非常年轻的表观年龄，表明月球晚期经历了全球性收缩。
