Lacus Veris
Encyclopedia
Lacus Veris is a small lunar mare
on the Moon
. In selenographic coordinates, the mare centered at 16.5° S, 86.1° W and lies within a 396 km in diameter. The mare extends along an irregular 90° arc from east to north that is centered on the Mare Orientale
, covering an area of about 12,000 km2. A 1989 study performed at the NASA Johnson Space Center proposed this mare for the location of a future manned lunar based.
This small, roughly crescent-shaped mare region lies between the ring-shaped Inner and Outer Rook mountains that form part of the Orientale impact basin. It lies in a topographic lowland about 1 km below the surrounding peaks. Based on data collected during the Lunar Orbiter missions and from Earth-based telescopes, the mare includes some material from the surrounding highlands. The density of crater impacts indicates that this mare is an estimated 3.5 billion years old, and it finished forming roughly 340 million years after the impact that created the Oriental basin.
The mare contains eleven sinuous rille formed from lava tubes and channels, with lengths ranging from 4 to 51 km. Many of these rille begin in the Rook mountains and flow to the base of the mountainous scarp. There are also several shield volcano
formations, each with a diameter of less than 10 km. The geological formations and the lack of collapse depressions suggest that the mare was formed by thin lava flow through tubes, rather than through basalt flooding by fissure eruptions.
Lunar mare
The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich compositions, and...
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. In selenographic coordinates, the mare centered at 16.5° S, 86.1° W and lies within a 396 km in diameter. The mare extends along an irregular 90° arc from east to north that is centered on the Mare Orientale
Mare Orientale
Mare Orientale is one of the most striking large scale lunar features, resembling a target ring bull's-eye. Located on the extreme western edge of the lunar nearside, this impact basin is difficult to see from an Earthbound perspective.Material from this basin was not sampled by the Apollo program...
, covering an area of about 12,000 km2. A 1989 study performed at the NASA Johnson Space Center proposed this mare for the location of a future manned lunar based.
This small, roughly crescent-shaped mare region lies between the ring-shaped Inner and Outer Rook mountains that form part of the Orientale impact basin. It lies in a topographic lowland about 1 km below the surrounding peaks. Based on data collected during the Lunar Orbiter missions and from Earth-based telescopes, the mare includes some material from the surrounding highlands. The density of crater impacts indicates that this mare is an estimated 3.5 billion years old, and it finished forming roughly 340 million years after the impact that created the Oriental basin.
The mare contains eleven sinuous rille formed from lava tubes and channels, with lengths ranging from 4 to 51 km. Many of these rille begin in the Rook mountains and flow to the base of the mountainous scarp. There are also several shield volcano
Shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...
formations, each with a diameter of less than 10 km. The geological formations and the lack of collapse depressions suggest that the mare was formed by thin lava flow through tubes, rather than through basalt flooding by fissure eruptions.