The Amundsen impact crater, with a diameter of about 103 km, is one of the most remarkable geomorphological features in the south polar region of the Moon. The crater floor hosts extensive plain terrains and permanent shadowed regions, with the enrichment of hydrogen elements, making it one of the most prioritized candidate landing areas for future volatile prospecting missions in the lunar south polar region. However, the detailed geological characteristics and evolution history of this region are poorly constrained. To serve future exploration needs of the lunar polar regions, investigated the geological context and characteristics of the Amundsen region are systematically using multisource high-resolution remote sensing data including topography, spectroscopy, and solar illumination conditions. The topographical signature of the Amundsen crater is well preserved and is one of the representative complex impact craters on the Moon. Over 2000 km² of plain terrains occur on the crater floor, with an average slope less than 5°. The composition and albedo analyses reveals that these floor plains are characterized with high albedo and low iron content, which is clearly different from mare plains, and indicate that these plains probably originated from ejecta materials from distant impact craters/basins, especially the Schrodinger basin, rather than volcanic eruption. In addition, the Amundsen crater area is characterized with elevated abundance of hydrogen, which shows its enormous potential for water ice prospecting. A new, large-scale geological map of the Amundsen area is created, and the regional multistage geological evolutionary history is investigated. Comparison with the Von Kármán crater mare plain where China’s Chang’e-4 mission landed suggests that the Amundsen crater floor plain has the topographical conditions for soft landing efforts, while its special characteristics of solar illumination condition, surface temperature, and the provenance of the plains materials bring scientific opportunities and technological challenges for landing exploration missions.

Amundsen crater;lunar polar region;permanently shadowed region;volatile components;morphology;geological evolution