Abstract
Over 300 previously unrecognized volcanic domes were identified on Lunar Orbiter photographs using the following criteria: (1) the recognition of land forms on the Moon similar in morphology to terrestrial volcanic domes, (2) structural control, (3) geomorphic discordance, and (4) the recognition of land forms modified by dome-like swellings. Many terrestrial volcanic domes are similar in morphology to lunar domes. This analogy suggests that some lunar hills are in fact extrusive volcanic domes. Many of the domes identified in this paper seem to be related to basins and craters, and with the exception of local tectonic grid control few domes are related to any observable Moon-wide pattern. Domes are not uniquely found on maria. Dome formation probably spans a wide range of lunar time and activity in areas where domes are located may be continuing to the present as revealed by the close correlation of dome distribution with the distribution of lunar transient events. The overall morphology of a lunar dome is a poor indicator of the composition of the rock that forms the dome.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Abbey, L. B. and Both, E. E.: 1958,Strolling Astron. 12, 96.
Alter, D.: 1957,Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific 69, 245.
Arthur, D. W. G.: 1962,Commun. Lunar Planet. Lab. 1.
Baldwin, R. B.: 1963,The Measure of the Moon, University of Chicago Press, 488 pp.
Beswick, J. D.: 1962,British Astron. Assoc. J. 72, 119.
Brungart, D. L.: 1964, ‘The Origin of Lunar Domes’, Thesis, Air Force Institute of Technology, MECH/GSF-64-32, 191 pp.
Bülow, Kurt Von: 1964,Geologie 13, 449.
Eggleton, R. E.: 1970, ‘Recognition of Volcanoes and Structural Patterns in the Rümker and Montes Riphaeus Quadrangles of the Moon’, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Arizona, Tucson, 266 pp.
El-Baz, Farouk: 1971,Apollo 14, Preliminary Science Report, NASA SP-272, 267–274.
El-Baz, Farouk and Wilshire, H. G.: 1969,Apollo 8, Preliminary Science Report, NASA SP-201, 32–33.
Elston, W. E.: 1967,Am. Astron. Soc. 14, 213.
Elston, W. E., Laughlin, A. W., and Brower, J. A.: 1971,J. Geophys. Res. 76, 5670.
Fielder, G.: 1962,British Astron. Assoc. J. 72, 24.
Greeley, Ronald:Science 172, 722.
Hartmann, W. K. and Wood, C. A.: 1971,The Moon 3, 3.
Herring, A. K.: 1960,Sky Telesc. 20, 219.
Jamieson, H. D. and Rae, W. L.: 1965,Brit. Astron. Soc. J. 75, 310.
Kuiper, G. P., Strom, R. G., and Le Poole, R. S.: 1966, inRanger VIII and IX, Part 11, NASA Technical Report No. 32–800, 35–248.
McCauley, J. F.: 1967, in S. K. Runcorn (ed.),Mantles of the Earth and Terrestrial Planets, Interscience, New York.
McCauley, J. F.: 1968,Amer. Inst. Aeron. Astron. J. 6, 1991.
McCauley, J. F.: 1969,Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union 50, 229.
Middlehurst, B. M.: 1967,Rev. Geophys. 5, 173.
Middlehurst, B. M. and Moore, P.: 1967,Science 155, 449.
Moore, P.: 1971,British Astron. Assoc. J. 81, 365.
Moore, P. and Cattermole, P. J.: 1957,J. Intern. Lunar Soc. 1, 16.
Muller, P. M. and Sjogren, W. L.: 1968,Science 161, 680.
Murray, J. B. and Guest, J. E.: 1970,Modern Geology 1, 149.
O’Keefe, J. A., Lowman, P. D., and Cameron, W. S.: 1967,Science 155, 77.
Pickering, W. D.: 1903,The Moon, Doubleday, Page and Co., New York.
Putnam, W. C.: 1938,Geograph. Rev. 38, 68.
Rae, W. L.: 1963,Brit. Astron. Assoc. J. 73, 165.
Rae, W. L.: 1966,Brit. Astron. Assoc. J. 76, 319.
Runcorn, S. K. and Shrubshall, M. H.: 1968,Phys. Earth Planetary Interiors 1, 317.
Schumm, S. A.: 1970,Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 81, 2539.
Scott, D. H., West, M. N., Lucchitta, B. K., and McCauley, J. F.: 1971,Apollo 14, Preliminary Science Report, NASA SP-272, 274–283.
Shaler, N. S.: 1903,Smithsonian Contrib. Knowledge 34, 1.
Shorthill, R. W. and Saari, J. M.: 1966, in W. N. Hess, D. H. Menzel, and J. A. O’Keefe (eds.), ‘The Nature of the Lunar Surface’,Proceedings of the 1965 IAU-NASA Symposium, Baltimore, p. 215.
Smith, E. I.: 1969,Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union 50, 229.
Smith, E. I.: 1970, ‘A Comparison of Selected Lunar and Terrestrial Volcanic Domes’, Ph.D. dissertation, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 200 pp.
Smith, E. I.: 1971,J. Geophys. Res. 76, 5683.
Spurr, J. E.: 1944,Geology Applied to Selenology, Vol. 1, Science Press Printing Co., Lancaster, Pa., 112 pp.
Strom, R. G.: 1964,Commun. Lunar Planet. Lab. 205, 39.
Strom, R. G.: 1971,Modern Geology 2, 133.
Westfall, J. E.: 1964,Strolling Astron. 18, 15.
Williams, H.: 1932a,Univ. Calif. Pub., Bull. Dept. Geol. Sci. 21, 51.
Williams, H.: 1932b,Univ. Calif. Pub., Bull. Dept. Geol. Sci. 21, 195.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Contribution No. 33 Planetary Geology Group, University of New Mexico.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Smith, E.I. Identification, distribution and significance of lunar volcanic domes. The Moon 6, 3–31 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02630650
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02630650