Moretus’s central mountain

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

crater

Coordinates

70.6346° S, 5.947° W

Diameter

114.45 km

IAU approval

1935/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-137 · Moretus

Geological Period

Imbrian

Geological Chronicle

Moretus is an impact crater in the heavily cratered highlands near the Moon’s south pole. Its central mountain rises about 2.1 kilometers above the surrounding floor.

Because it lies near the lunar limb, Moretus appears oblong from foreshortening. Its rim has a wide, terraced inner wall and a complex outer rampart. The floor is relatively flat and partly resurfaced.

The formation dates to the Imbrian period. An infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified on the central rise. Moretus is named for 17th-century Flemish mathematician and geometer Theodorus Moretus.

Chronology & Exploration

1. Imbrian Formation period

   Moretus dates to the Imbrian period on the lunar geologic timescale.

2. Date not stated Name origin

   Moretus is named for 17th-century Flemish mathematician and geometer Theodorus Moretus.

3. Date not stated Infrared identification

   An infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase was identified on the central rise.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Registry record for the crater’s coordinates, diameter, and namesake entry.
• Moretus (crater), Wikipedia — Localized source for Moretus’s morphology, geologic period, spectral identification, and namesake.

Name Origin

Moret, Theodore; Belgian mathematician (1602-1667).