Geological Chronicle
Rutherfurd is a well-preserved lunar impact crater embedded entirely within the southern rim of the much larger Clavius. It spans 48 by 54 kilometers, creating an oblong shape oriented roughly north to south, with an official registry diameter of 49.98 kilometers. Because its rim overlies the sloping inner wall of Clavius, the ramparts rise notably higher above the surrounding terrain along the north and west. To its north, Rutherfurd anchors the largest position in an arcing chain of craters of diminishing size that curves across the floor of Clavius.
The crater interior descends to a depth of 2.9 kilometers and displays an asymmetric topography. Instead of occupying the crater center, a domical central peak rising 1.7 kilometers stands offset toward the northeast. Planetary geologists classify the crater floor into three distinct morphologic terrains: a hummocky unit covering roughly 44 percent of the floor, a smooth melt-bearing unit occupying about 33 percent, and a transitional intermediate unit. More than 170 isolated mounds dot these subunits, ranging from 200 meters to 5.5 kilometers in length.
Geologic mapping places Rutherfurd in the lunar Copernican System based on its retained ray system. The asymmetric ejecta pattern, together with the northeastern displacement of the central uplift, suggests an oblique impact trajectory originating from the southeast. Morphological surveys have cataloged numerous pits, cave-like structures, and fractures along the cooling tracks of the impact melt and rim terraces, with mapping across the ejecta blanket showing aligned volatile concentrations that suggest water was delivered during the impact event.
The crater honors Lewis Morris Rutherfurd, an American astronomer and astrophotographer who pioneered telescopic lunar photography during the nineteenth century.