Geological Chronicle
Vallis Schröteri, frequently known by its Latinized name, is a sinuous valley or rille on the near side of the Moon. It sits on a rise of continental ground, sometimes called the Aristarchus plateau, that is surrounded by Oceanus Procellarum to the south and west and Mare Imbrium to the northwest. At the southern edge of this rise are the craters Aristarchus and Herodotus, with the valley ranking as the largest sinuous rille on the Moon.
The rille begins at a 6 km diameter crater located 25 km to the north of Herodotus, an opening termed the "Cobra's Head" by some observers due to its resemblance to a snake. From the crater it follows a meandering path, first to the north, then toward the northwest, before bending back to the south until reaching a 1 km high precipice at the edge of Oceanus Procellarum. Along this path, the rille has a maximum width of about 10 km, then gradually narrows to less than a kilometer near its terminus.
The origins of the rille are believed to be volcanic, and its interior floor has been resurfaced and is very level. A slender rille on the floor can be photographed from Earth with a good telescope and good seeing. The valley has also been the subject of numerous transient lunar phenomena observations, served as a potential landing site for the canceled Apollo 18 mission, and was briefly planned as the target for an Intuitive Machines robotic landing before the mission was redirected.