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PENG Man, HU Wenmin, LI Xijian, et al. Radar scattering characteristics and stress field of lobate scarps in the apollo basin on the moon[J]. Journal of Radars, in press. doi: 10.12000/JR25189
Citation: PENG Man, HU Wenmin, LI Xijian, et al. Radar scattering characteristics and stress field of lobate scarps in the apollo basin on the moon[J]. Journal of Radars, in press. doi: 10.12000/JR25189
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Radar Scattering Characteristics and Stress Field of Lobate Scarps in the Apollo Basin on the Moon

DOI: 10.12000/JR25189 CSTR: 32380.14.JR25189
  • 1.

    State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

  • 2.

    The National Joint Engineering Laboratory of Internet Applied Technology of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China

  • 3.

    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

  • 4.

    School of Environment and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

Funds:  National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2022YFF0503100), The Fujian Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (2025J01859), The Opening Project of Joint Laboratory for Planetary Science and Supercomputing, funded by Chengdu University of Technology and the National Supercomputing Center in Chengdu(CDCSZX-QT-2026-01)
More Information
  • Corresponding author: DI Kaichang, dikc@aircas.ac.cn
  • Received Date: 2025-09-26
    Available Online: 2026-04-28
    Abstract
  • Lunar lobate scarps are small-scale linear structures formed by shallow thrust fault activity on the lunar surface, and their spatial distribution and stress characteristics provide essential clues for understanding the late-stage tectonic evolution of the Moon. At present, the correlation mechanism between the stress characteristics of lobate scarps and their radar scattering response remains unclear. In this study, lobate scarps in the Apollo Basin are considered as the research focus, and scattering characteristic parameters are extracted from Mini-RF images. Subsequently, the Coulomb software is used to invert the distribution characteristics of the regional stress field based on high-resolution digital elevation models. On this basis, the correspondence between radar scattering characteristics and stress is analyzed using statistical correlation methods, revealing the underlying relationship between tectonic activity and surface material response. The main conclusions are as follows. (1) The strain near the fault is markedly higher than that in the surrounding areas, with the maximum shear strain concentrated in the fault dip direction. Volumetric strain indicates volume expansion within the fault hanging wall, whereas volume contraction is observed at both ends and at the center of the sliding surface. (2) The scarp face and hanging wall regions exhibit stronger scattering responses in terms of the circular polarization ratio and partial polarization decomposition parameters, suggesting higher degrees of fragmentation, boulder exposure, or structural complexity in these areas. However, the scattering differences are also influenced by the combined effects of surface roughness, incidence geometry, and subsequent modification processes. (3) The regression analysis of scattering parameters and stress fields, based on multiple linear regression and random forest algorithms, indicates that the correlation between scattering characteristics and stress is likely nonlinear, governed by the combined effects of topographic conditions, surface roughness, and local structures. Overall, this study develops an exploratory radar-topography joint analysis framework for lobate scarps in the Apollo Basin to evaluate whether a quantifiable statistical correspondence exists between scattering features and stress indicators, as well as to provide supplementary evidence for studies of shallow tectonic activity under similar geological settings.

     

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