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.1 Dec 2021
What is maria and craters and how are they formed?
What is the difference between maria and craters?
As nouns the difference between crater and maria is that crater is (astronomy) a hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object or crater can be (ireland|informal|uk|dialect) a term of endearment, a dote, a wretched thing while maria is (lunar plain).
What causes maria?
Planetary Satellites, Natural The result was the melting and eruption of basaltic lava onto the lunar surface between 3.8 to about 2.8 billion years ago to form the lunar maria. This lava was highly fluid under the weaker gravitational field of the Moon and spread over vast distances.
What is maria in geology?
The lunar maria (/ˈmɑːriə/; singular: mare /ˈmɑːreɪ/) 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.
Are maria impact craters?
Both the Maria and the Highlands exhibit large craters that are the result of meteor impacts. There are many more such impact craters in the Highlands.
How were moon craters formed?
These are impact craters, each of which was formed when an asteroid or comet collided with the Moon's surface. The large number of craters in this region indicates that this part of the Moon is quite ancient. Geologic processes have not erased the craters with time.
Is the Moon Sandy?
The surface of the Moon is buried under a fine-grained soil of tiny, shattered rock fragments. The dark basaltic dust of the lunar maria was kicked up by every astronaut footstep, and thus eventually worked its way into all of the astronauts' equipment.
Why do some craters contain maria?
Circular depressions formed as a result of impact of a meteorite. Why do some craters contain maria? because the impact broke through the moon's crust early in it's history when the mantle was still broken. The lava poured out and hardened over.
How did the lunar maria form quizlet?
How did the lunar maria form? Large impacts fractured the Moon's lithosphere, allowing lava to fill the impact basins. … It's the result of gradual erosion by micrometeorites striking the Moon. You just studied 20 terms!