The South pole region of the moon as seen by clementine

Abstract

The Clementine mission has provided the first comprehensive set of high-resolution images of the south pole region of the moon. Within 5 degrees of latitude of the pole, an area of an estimated 30,000 square kilometers remained in shadow during a full lunar rotation and is a promising target for future exploration for ice deposits. The Schrödinger Basin (320 kilometers in diameter), centered at 75 degrees S, is one of the two youngest, least modified, great multiring impact basins on the moon. A large maar-type volcano localized along a graben within the Schrödinger Basin probably erupted between 1 and 2 billion years ago.