These great plains are relatively smooth and have fewer large craters than other regions of the Moon. They are called lowlands or (more commonly) craters, the plural of the Latin word mare (meaning ocean or sea), because Galileo and other early telescope users thought they resembled large smooth areas of water.
What are the dark lowlands on the Moon called?
The lunar maria (/ˈmɑːriə/; singular: mare /ˈmɑːreɪ/) are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth’s Moon, formed by ancient asteroid impacts on the far side on the Moon that triggered volcanic activity on the opposite (near) side.
What make up the highlands and lowlands of the Moon?
The highlands are anorthositic in composition, whereas the maria are basaltic. The maria often coincide with the “lowlands,” but it is important to note that the lowlands (such as within the South Pole-Aitken basin) are not always covered by maria.
What are 3 main types of landforms found on the Moon?
While the craters, highlands and maria are the moon’s three main landforms, the moon’s surface has a number of other highly visible features. For example, some impact craters have bright rays that shoot outward from the center. Also, the moon has a number of rilles, which are long, thin tunnels or trenches.
What are the highlands on the Moon?
Most of the crust of the Moon (83%) consists of silicate rocks called anorthosites; these regions are known as the lunar highlands. They are made of relatively low-density rock that solidified on the cooling Moon like slag floating on the top of a smelter.
What are potholes on moon called?
The correct option is Craters. Craters are the name for these deep potholes. A crater is a hollowed-out or bowl-shaped area left behind by the impact of a meteorite, volcanic eruption, or explosion. Impact craters are created when a meteorite collides with the Earth or another planet or moon.
What are Moon valleys called?
The Moon Valley Pilea or Pilea Mollis is native to Central and South America. Its common name, Moon Valley Pilea, is inspired by its deeply dimpled leaves – thought to look like the craters and valleys on the moon. The leaves are bushy in nature and are typically a bright yellow-green with dark copper veins.
What are two types of lowlands?
Types of Lowlands
A valley that contains water is called a water valley while a valley without water is called a dry valley.
What does highlands and lowlands mean?
The terms ‘highlands’ and ‘lowlands’ are loosely defined: ‘highlands’ as synonymous with ‘mountains’ and, therefore, ‘lowlands’ as those areas beyond and beneath the mountains that are influenced by down-slope physical processes and by human relationships linking the two.
How are lowland formed?
In the ice-free areas, lowlands formed because of the continued action of rivers. Streams debouching from the Rockies have spread sands, occasionally whipped up into sand hills, well beyond their banks; those funneling into the Mississippi River have created a vast plain that is known as the Mississippi delta.
What are 4 surface features of the moon?
The moon’s surface is covered with dead volcanoes, impact craters, and lava flows, some visible to the unaided stargazer. Early scientists thought the dark stretches of the moon might be oceans, and so named such features mare, which is Latin for “seas” (maria when there are more than one).
What are the 2 basic regions of the moon’s surface?
It is divided into light areas called the Lunar Highlands and darker areas called Maria (literally, “seas”; the singular is Mare).
What are the two terrains on the moon?
There are two primary types of terrain on the Moon: the heavily cratered and very old highlands and the relatively smooth and younger maria. The maria (which comprise about 16% of the Moon’s surface) are huge impact craters that were later flooded by molten lava.
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 only country to land on the Moon?
The United States
The United States is the only country to have successfully conducted crewed missions to the Moon, with the last departing the lunar surface in December 1972.
What causes highlands on the Moon?
“The hot liquid, magma, seems to have flowed on to the surface and taken the form of lava. The rocky remains that floated to the top appear to have transformed into the Moon’s highlands or mountains,” an Isro scientist explained.
What are the dips in the Moon called?
These holes are called craters. Many of them are impact carters which are formed between 3000 and 4000 million years ago when meteorites and asteroids hit the surface of the moon.
What are the crevices on the Moon called?
You’ll see valleys, and the cracks in the Moon’s surface called rilles, formed when the lava that once filled a basin cooled and contracted.
What is the rust on the Moon called?
haematite
They have found haematite on the Moon – a form of rust that usually requires oxygen and water. Now, water was discovered on the Moon in 2008/9.
What are the 4 main quarters of the Moon called?
There are four principal (primary/major) lunar phases: the new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter (also known as third or final quarter), when the Moon’s ecliptic longitude is at an angle to the Sun (as viewed from the centre of the Earth) of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°, respectively.
Does the Moon have any valleys?
The surface of the Moon has many features, including mountains and valleys, craters, and maria—wide flat areas that look like seas from a distance but are probably solidified molten rock. Some of these features are listed.