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What are the maria basins?
In actuality, maria are huge basins containing lava flows marked by craters, ridges, faults, and straight and meandering valleys called rilles and are devoid of water. There are about 20 major areas of this type, most of them—including the largest ones—located on the side of the Moon that always faces Earth.
What are maria on the moon?
The lunar maria (or plains), which were formed between 3.1 and 3.9 billion years ago, are the youngest geologic units on the lunar surface, except for more recent impact craters. The release of heat from large impacts caused extensive melting and extrusion of basaltic lavas on the moon.
What caused the maria on the moon?
The maria were formed after large impacts from meteors carved out basins in the lunar crust. When the Moon was volcanic, magma seeped to the surface, filled the basins and eventually hardened, resulting in the relatively smooth flat areas seen today.
Why is it called lunar maria?
Lunar maria: a complete guide to the seas of the Moon The maria, or ‘seas’, were named by early astronomers who mistook them for actual oceans on the Moon, but of course today we know that no such large bodies of liquid water exist on the lunar surface.
What is the basic composition of the lunar maria regions?
D Mare Volcanism. Four of the Apollo missions landed on the mare plains and returned samples of mare volcanic rocks. The lunar mare rocks are basalts similar in texture and chemical composition to volcanic basaltic rocks on the earth.
Who discovered the lunar maria?
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. Riccioli’s map of the Moon was drawn by Francesco Maria Grimaldi, who has a crater named after him.
What is the difference between lunar highlands and maria?
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.
What are lunar maria and how are they formed?
Lunar Mare Formation It was then that the Moon witnessed huge asteroid impacts that cracked the surface, leaving large craters in their wake. The liquid magma underneath the surface flowed out through the cracks and filled the craters, where it eventually cooled. These are areas that we identify as lunar maria.
What is the difference between the lunar highlands and the lunar maria?
Which of the following best describes lunar maria?
astronomy final shelley
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Which of the following best describes the lunar maria? | relatively smooth, flat plains on the Moon |
| In the context of planetary geology, what do we mean by outgassing? | the release by volcanism of gases that had been trapped in a planetary interior |
What kinds of rocks are found in the lunar maria?
Lunar Rocks The lunar mare rocks are basalts similar in texture and chemical composition to volcanic basaltic rocks on the earth.
Is lunar highlands or maria older?
Compared to geology of the Lunar Highlands: ● Lunar highlands have more impact craters than the mare. So, the highlands are older.
Why are there no Marias on the far side of the Moon?
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 lunar maria only on near side?
The Moon’s rotation is tidally locked, so one side always faces the Earth.
Are lunar maria older than lunar highlands?
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.
Can you drink water from the Moon?
Before complex life evolved on our planet, volcanoes on the Moon spewed water vapor across the lunar surface that likely still exists as frost and ice in its craters. It could be the perfect drinking water for astronauts, say the authors of a new study published this month in The Planetary Science Journal.
What is the lunar maria 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 Moon form?
Why are the lunar maria on the Earth side?
The lunar maria are found primarily on the earth side of the moon. One possible physical explanation for the unequal distribution is that the maria formed in accordance with hydrostatic equilibrium: the moon’s center of mass is closer to the earth’s side and the crust on the farside is thus thicker.
How old are the lunar maria?
Bonnie J. Buratti, in Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology (Third Edition), 2003 The lunar maria (or plains), which were formed between 3.1 and 3.9 billion years ago, are the youngest geologic units on the lunar surface, except for more recent impact craters.
Are the ridged plains of Hellas analogous to lunar maria?
Ridged plains northeast and south of Hellas basin were interpreted to be analogous to the lunar maria, formed by flood lavas “probably ultrabasic or very basic basaltic in composition” because of their large areal extent.