Craterra

Hadley–Apennine Region

Unsampled Volcanic Hills North of the Apollo 15 Touchdown Site

A group of hills located three kilometers north of the Apollo 15 landing site remained unvisited after core extraction delays near the landing site left no time for the journey.

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type
landing
Coordinates
26.25° N · 3.59° E
Diameter
3.09 km
IAU approval
1973/01/01 00:00:00
LAC quadrangle
LAC-41 · Montes Apenninus

Geological Chronicle

North Complex is a group of hills in the Hadley–Apennine region of the Moon, spanning 3.09 kilometers in diameter. Located roughly two kilometers east of Hadley Rille and three kilometers north of the Apollo 15 landing site, the hills are thought to be volcanic in origin.

The feature was an intended destination for the Apollo 15 astronauts, but problems extracting a rock core near the landing site left insufficient time to make the journey. Because no samples were collected there, their volcanic origin remains unconfirmed.

Geologist Gerald G. Schaber named the feature, which the astronauts called Schaber Hill. The crew named several small craters on the hills, including an 800-meter crater named Pluton, before the International Astronomical Union formally adopted the name North Complex in 1973.

Chronology & Exploration

  1. 1973 IAU Name Adoption

    The International Astronomical Union formally adopted the name North Complex for the feature.

Scientific Sources & References

Name Origin

Astronaut-named feature, Apollo 15 site.

Interactive Lunar Surface

Explore North Complex in 3D

Inspect lunar elevation data and the official selenographic position.