Geological Chronicle
Kies is the remnant of an impact crater spanning 45.54 kilometers in diameter that has been flooded by basaltic lava, leaving only a remnant of the outer rim. Located in Mare Nubium almost due south of Bullialdus and southeast of König, the formation and its surrounding mare are crossed by rays from Tycho crater far to the southeast.
The rim of Kies has numerous gaps and forms a series of ridges in a ring-shaped formation. The most intact rim structures lie in the south and northeast sections of the wall, where a low promontory ridge is attached to the southern end and points southwards.
To the south-southwest lies Kies Pi, a lunar dome structure with a small summit crater that is most likely volcanic in origin. The feature was named after German mathematician and astronomer Johann Kies.