How do lunar mountain ranges form

The mountainous parts of the moon are referred as Terrae. These are bright regions on the moon. Most of the surface of the moon is covered these highlands. Craters are the depressions created on the surface of the moon as the space rocks strike. But the Moon has no plate tectonics, atmosphere or running water. How then does it boast of mountains several kilometres high? For example, Zeeman Mons on the lunar farside peaks as high as Mt Everest. For even larger craters, the twin peaks widen to form a ring of mountains, like a liquid drop causing a ripple on still water.

The impact that created the basin excavated material from deep into the lunar crust, and perhaps even the mantle.

For craters larger than kilometers, you get not one but multiple mountain rings. The ubiquity of mountains formed by impacts across the solar system and their consistent patterns indicate common geological mechanisms at play. The Moon being so close to us presents an opportunity to study these fundamental processes in planetary science in great, testable detail. Lunar orbiters use remote sensing techniques to understand the composition of the lunar mountains.

But to better understand their composition, structure and origin, surface missions are needed, especially sample return ones so as to determine precise ages. To that end, NASA had selected several of the above mentioned places as candidate landing sites for the now cancelled Constellation program to return humans to the Moon. However, sending landing and roving missions to lunar mountains is a bit of an engineering hurdle.

Most surface missions thus far have landed in the dark lunar plains—vast, solidified lava regions that provide a relatively uniform surface for spacecraft to land on. The rocky nature of the mountainous regions make it more difficult to safely touch down on. The precision landing technologies required to touch down safely on the challenging polar terrain also enables missions to the lunar mountains.

Republished by The Wire Science. Like what you read? All my articles are free, with no ads. Support me to keep me going. Jatan's Space Subscribe Sign in. The kilometre-plus high central peaks of the young, city-sized Aristarchus crater and km-wide Tycho crater are fine examples.

Visiting Aristarchus or Tycho in a future surface mission will allow us to study the lunar interior exposed by virtue of their central mountains. Even larger craters offer two central peaks instead of just one. Specifically, for larger crater sizes or more energetic impacts, the newly formed central peak splits into two before it can solidify.

The km-wide Copernicus and km-wide King craters respectively host two distinct peaks, each towering more than six kilometres high! Apart from allowing scientists to study the lunar interior, such places are key to understanding mechanics of impacts that form such features, found not just on the Moon but across the Solar System.

For even larger craters, the twin peaks widen into a ring of mountains, like a liquid drop causing a ripple on still water. The impact that created the basin excavated deep into the lunar crust, and perhaps even the mantle.

For craters bigger than km, you get not one but multiple rings of mountains. This period of blistering impacts is particularly important as Earth is thought to have got its water in this time. The rest of the interior has been drowned in lava, visible as dark regions on the Moon.

It is 3, km wide.