Geological Chronicle
Furnerius lies in the Moon’s southeastern region, near the southeastern edge of the visible disk. Foreshortening makes it appear oval, though the crater is nearly circular. Stevinus lies to the northwest, Fraunhofer to the south-southwest, and farther northwest are Snellius and Vallis Snellius. Its name honors Georges Fournier, a French mathematician (1595–1652).
The rim is worn and battered by impacts, with notches along its base. Much of the wall rises only slightly above the surrounding terrain, especially in its low northern and southern sections; the northern wall reaches a maximum elevation of 3.5 km.
Fourteen notable craters mark the interior floor. Furnerius B, in the northern half, has a central rise; dark patches indicate areas resurfaced by lava. In the northeast, Rima Furnerius follows a northwest course to the north rim and is about 50 km in length.
Johann H. Schröter sketched a low dome in the southern half in a lunar study from 1791, but the feature has been difficult to identify in later observations. In 1993, the Japanese satellite Hiten crash-landed in the vicinity of Furnerius.