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Moon's largest plain is not an impact crater

Nature (2014)Cite this article

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Gravity data suggest flats of volcanic basalt formed from tectonic stretching.

For years scientists have believed that a vast plain of solidified lava on the nearside of the Moon — known as Oceanus Procellarum — was shaped by an asteroid that slammed into the orb billions of years ago.

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References

  1. Andrews-Hanna, J. C. et al. Nature 514, 68-71 (2014).

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Authors
  1. Elizabeth Gibney
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Gravity maps reveal why the dark side of the Moon is covered in craters 2013-Nov-07

Tandem satellites probe the Moon's interior 2012-Sep-14

Early Earth may have had two moons 2011-Aug-03

The Moon reveals its weirder side 2009-Feb-12

Moon mapping mission ends with controlled crash

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Gibney, E. Moon's largest plain is not an impact crater. Nature (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2014.16041

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2014.16041

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