Geological Chronicle
Lichtenberg is an isolated impact crater situated in the western expanse of Oceanus Procellarum, north of the crater Briggs. Measuring 19.53 kilometers in diameter, the crater exhibits a crisp, circular rim with negligible erosion and a floor surrounded by an internal ring of loose scree. Both the rim and interior retain high albedo surfaces, reflecting a youthfulness that has largely escaped darkening from space weathering.
The crater is distinguished by an asymmetric ray system diagnostic of the Copernican Period, with bright ejecta extending toward the north and west. To the east and south, these rays are absent on the surface because subsequent mare basalt flows have buried them. High-resolution crater counting indicates that these superposed lava deposits are less than 1 billion years old, placing them among the youngest known volcanic flows on the Moon.
The stratigraphic relationship makes the area around Lichtenberg a key candidate for lunar exploration. Planetary geologist Paul Spudis proposed an uncrewed sample-return mission to these mare surfaces to obtain an absolute radiometric age for late volcanic activity. In addition to overlying a faint ghost crater to its northwest, Lichtenberg has recorded historical transient lunar phenomena, observed as short-lived red-hued patches.