A new method of interpreting geoid to topography ratios (GTRs) on a sphere is presented, in which it is shown that the GTR is equivalent to a sum of spectrally weighted degree-dependent admittances. Using this method combined with newly obtained gravity, topography, and near-global surface iron concentrations from the Clementine mission, the structure and compensation of the lunar highland crust have been investigated. Geoid to topography ratios were tested against single-layer Pratt and Airy compensation models, as well as dual-layered Airy models. Regional lateral variations in crustal density are found to play an insignificant role in crustal compensation, and the single-layer and dual-layered Airy models both strongly suggest that the lunar crust is vertically stratified. The depth of the intracrustal interface obtained from these models is consistent with the existence of a 20-km seismic discontinuity beneath the Apollo 12 and 14 sites. A uniform density crust with compensation occurring at the Moho is a viable interpretation of crustal structure only when the extreme limits of the observed GTR distribution are used.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union