Abstract
Lacking the global plate tectonics of the Earth, the mountains of the Moon were created by large impactors. They excavated huge volumes of regolith, which formed arcuate mountain ranges that flanked the newly formed basins. Platform massifs, such as those surrounding Mare Crisium, are thought to be a result of sub-lithospheric flow towards the basin center that compensated for the material removed from the lunar crust as ejecta. Concentric and radial faulting (caused by the impact) formed isolated massifs as the post-impact modification continued. Eventually the mare lavas flowed around the massifs and embayed the isolated blocks.
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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
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Handy, R., Kelleghan, D., McCague, T., Rix, E., Russell, S. (2012). Sketching Mons (Mountains). In: Sketching the Moon. Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0941-0_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0941-0_3
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Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-0940-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-0941-0
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