The maria basins were formed beginning about 3.9 billion years ago during a period of intense bombardment by asteroid-sized bodies. This was well after the lunar crust had cooled and solidified enough, following the Moon’s formation, to retain large impact scars.
How were the maria of the Moon formed quizlet?
maria formed when, before the moon’s crust completely solidified, several large bodies struck the surface, making huge craters. molten material from within the moon flooded the crater and congealed to become the smooth, dark law plains of the maria.
What are the maria seas on the Moon made of?
The lunar maria are impact basins created by collisions with cosmic debris that filled with lava and other lunar material between 1-4 billion years ago.
How did the maria and highlands form on the Moon?
The highlands are heavily cratered and mountainous. We have learned that the maria are relatively young areas on the Moon which were generated after very large impacts penetrated the crust of our Moon and excavated basins. During later volcanic episodes, liquid magma came to the surface and filled these basins.
Why does the Moon have maria?
During the formation of the Moon, lava flows were able to move through this thinner crust and flood the basins on the near side, but not as much on the far side of the Moon. The areas of these lava flows are what we now call maria, which is Latin for “seas”.
What kind of rock makes up the Moon’s maria?
basaltic lava
The lunar maria are made of layers of basaltic lava, not unlike the basaltic flows of the Columbia River Plateau or of Iceland. The orange glass found on the Moon’s surface is another product of volcanic activity. Moon rocks are not exposed to weather nor are they eroded by wind, water, or ice.
Who named the maria on the Moon?
This is a list of maria (large, dark, basaltic plains) on the Moon. It includes other basaltic plains, including the one oceanus as well as features known by the names lacus, palus and sinus. The modern system of lunar nomenclature was introduced in 1651 by Giovanni Battista Riccioli.
Why are lunar Marias dark?
The maria appear dark due to their high iron and titanium content that lead to about half of the highlands albedo. The highlands are formed by anorthosite that is a porous rock composed mainly of plagioclase feldspar.
Why does the Moon only have maria on one side?
They believe that the absence of maria, which is due to a difference in crustal thickness between the near side of the moon and the far side, is a consequence of how the moon originally formed. The researchers reported their results in the June 9 Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Why are the dark spots on the Moon called maria?
Those spots are called maria, from the Latin word for sea, because early astronomers mistakenly thought they were lunar seas (they’re actually volcanic plains). The smooth and dark maria cover 17 percent of the surface of the moon. Almost all of them are visible from Earth.
What caused the highlands on the Moon?
These meteorites formed from fragmental debris near the surface of the Moon. The lunar highlands represent the ancient lunar crust that has been gardened extensively by meteoritic bombardment, particularly during the early period of intense bombardment around 3.9 Ga ago, resulting in extensive brecciation.
What is the difference between maria and highlands on the Moon?
The side facing the earth consists of dark (basaltic) lava filled basins called mare (maria) or seas. The lighter areas are heavily impacted terrain called the highlands. These contrasting features can easily be seen with the naked eye.
What formed the highlands on the Moon?
The Indian mission through the Moon mineralogy mapper has offered proof that the Moon’s highlands were formed by the eruption of a hot liquid inside the Moon’s surface popularly known as magma.
Is the maria the original crust of the Moon?
When the Moon first formed, it was hot enough for the surface to be covered by a great ocean of molten rock. As this solidified, on occasion large meteors would hit the Moon and crack the thin, still-forming crust. Then molten rock came to the surface once more, becoming the maria we see today.
How much is a moon rock worth?
NASA assessed the value of the rocks at around $50,800 per gram in 1973 dollars, based on the total cost of retrieving the samples. That works to just a hair over $300,000 a gram in today’s currency.
Are there diamonds on the Moon?
Scientists have found evidence of cubic zirconia in Moon rocks, showing that the universe not only holds diamonds, but its own fire-safe knock-offs.
Is there gold on the Moon?
The moon isn’t so barren after all. A 2009 NASA mission—in which a rocket slammed into the moon and a second spacecraft studied the blast—revealed that the lunar surface contains an array of compounds, including gold, silver, and mercury, according to PBS.
Why is Moon called Mama?
She performs ARTI of the MOON . This is the reason why children of Hindu parents lovingly and affectionately call the moon CHANDA MAMA. (Chanda ….is Moon and Mama refers to Mother’s brother).
What is the oldest name for the Moon?
Selene, (Greek: “Moon”) Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess.
What is the largest maria on the Moon?
Oceanus Procellarum
The irregular maria lie in lowlands. The largest of these is Oceanus Procellarum, which lies on the west side of the Moon and is almost 2 km below nominal mean lunar radius. Mare filling is characterized by several distinctive features that indicate a volcanic origin.
Why are lunar highlands older than maria?
Further, different parts of the surface of the Moon exhibit different amounts of cratering and therefore are of different ages: the maria are younger than the highlands, because they have fewer craters. The oldest surfaces in the Solar System are characterized by maximal cratering density.