Geological Chronicle
Trending radially away from the center of the Mare Nectaris impact basin toward the southeast, Vallis Rheita forms a prominent valley-like feature across the southeastern highlands of the Moon. The feature spans 509 kilometers in official registry diameter, sharing its orientation and implied origin with Vallis Snellius to its northeast.
Modern lunar mapping interprets the valley not as a tectonic trough but as a chain of partially overlapping impact structures formed in the aftermath of Mare Nectaris. Vallis Rheita appears as one of the largest ejecta-related lineations observed in the Janssen Formation, reaching a maximum width of about 30 kilometers before narrowing to 10 kilometers at its southeastern extreme.
A series of impacts has eroded the valley, leaving several notable craters along its length. Near the northwestern end lies crater Rheita, for which the valley was named, while crater Young sits nearly centered across the valley. Farther southeast, craters Young D, Mallet, and Reimarus mark the course alongside satellite crater Mallet D before it reaches its difficult-to-discern terminus.