edgepedia

Planetary surfaces and named features

3,614 articles

Rimae Aristarchus

Rimae Aristarchus, a 175-km system of lunar sinuous rilles on the Aristarchus Plateau in Oceanus Procellarum, includes Vallis Schröteri, the Moon's largest rille, with rilles dated 3.77 to 1.49 Ga.

Rimae Bode

Rimae Bode, a 233-km lunar sinuous rille system near Sinus Aestuum on the central nearside Moon, with a ~7,000 km2 fire-fountaining dark mantle deposit; a priority candidate site for China's first crewed lunar landing around 2030.

Rimae Chacornac

Rimae Chacornac is a 100 km system of linear graben rilles on the eastern edge of Mare Serenitatis on the Moon, crossing crater Chacornac toward Le Monnier; IAU-named 1964, formed by Serenitatis basin subsidence, in three parts I, II, III.

Rimae Daniell

Rimae Daniell, a 140-km-wide IAU-named group of arcuate lunar rilles at 37.53°N, 24.33°E on the nearside, named in 1964 from the nearby crater Daniell and studied as a graben and pit-crater system.

Rimae Darwin

Rimae Darwin is a system of lunar rilles near the crater Darwin on the Moon's southwestern near side, IAU-approved in 1964, about 170 km across at 19.84°S 66.66°W, cut at right angles by the younger Rima Sirsalis.

Rimae Fresnel

Rimae Fresnel, a system of lunar rilles near Promontorium Fresnel at about 28.1N, 3.7E on the Moon's near side; IAU-approved 1964, diameter about 75 km, mapped in quadrangle LAC-41.

Rimae Gerard

Rimae Gerard is a system of rilles, long narrow channels, on the Moon's northwestern limb near the crater Gerard, its namesake, approved by the IAU in 1985.

Rimae Goclenius

Rimae Goclenius, a lunar rille system in western Mare Fecunditatis near Goclenius crater, IAU-named 1964, about 190-250 km long, mixing sinuous lava-cut and straight linear rilles.

Rimae Grimaldi

Rimae Grimaldi is an IAU-named (1964) system of linear lunar rilles, up to 230 km long and 2 km wide, running along the southeastern inner wall of the Grimaldi impact basin near the Moon's western limb.

Rimae Gutenberg

Rimae Gutenberg, a system of lunar rilles near crater Gutenberg on the Moon's nearside, IAU-approved 1964, 223–330 km extent, centered at −4.42°, 36.42°E, related to Rimae Goclenius.

Rimae Hase

Rimae Hase, a 257.24 km system of lunar rilles (rimae) at 34.71°S, 67.78°E on the Moon, IAU-approved in 1985 and named from the nearby crater Hase.

Rimae Herigonius

Rimae Herigonius (Rima Herigonius) is a 180-km lunar sinuous rille system at 13.92S, 36.75W in southern Oceanus Procellarum near Gassendi, a volcanic vent channel structurally controlled by Mare Humorum tectonics.

Rimae Hevelius

Rimae Hevelius is an IAU-approved lunar rille system (180 km diameter, centered 0.81°N, 66.38°W) near crater Hevelius, named 1964 for Johannes Hevelius, the 17th-century lunar cartographer.

Rimae Hippalus

Rimae Hippalus is a system of arcuate rilles, or graben valleys, on the Moon, curving along the southeastern margin of the Humorum basin near Mare Humorum.

Rimae Hypatia

Rimae Hypatia is a system of broad linear rilles (grabens) on the Moon's near side, on the border of Mare Tranquillitatis and Sinus Asperitatis near the Apollo 11 site; IAU-named 1964, about 200 km across, roughly 3.6 billion years old.

Rimae Janssen

Rimae Janssen is a 120-km lunar rille system on the floor of the degraded crater Janssen in the Moon's southeastern highlands, IAU-named in 1964, curving from Fabricius toward the southern rim.

Rimae Kopff

Rimae Kopff is an IAU-approved system of lunar rilles (rimae), 250 km across, centered at -14.68, -88.10 near crater Kopff in the Orientale region; named from the nearby crater, adopted 1985.

Rimae Littrow

Rimae Littrow, a lunar rille system near Littrow Crater on the eastern edge of Mare Serenitatis, IAU-approved 1964, 165 km across, beside the Apollo 17 Taurus-Littrow landing valley.

Rimae Maclear

Rimae Maclear is a 94-km lunar rille system in southern Mare Tranquillitatis near crater Maclear, IAU-approved 1964, centered at 12.23°N, 19.90°E, with nearby irregular mare patches Maclear-4 and Maclear-5.

Rimae Maestlin

Rimae Maestlin is a network of linear lunar rilles about 80 km long in Oceanus Procellarum, near Kepler and Flamsteed, named from the crater honoring astronomer Michael Maestlin.

Rimae Menelaus

Rimae Menelaus, a system of linear lunar rilles on the southern edge of Mare Serenitatis near crater Menelaus, IAU-named 1978, about 87-131 km long, formed by mare-edge subsidence and linked to pyroclastic domes.

Rimae Mersenius

Rimae Mersenius is a lunar rille system east of the crater Mersenius on the shore of Mare Humorum, about 21.5S 49.2W, IAU-approved 1985, roughly parallel rilles running about 230 km, formed as lava channels or collapsed lava tubes.

Rimae Parry

Rimae Parry, a lunar rille system near crater Parry in the Fra Mauro region, includes Rima Parry V, a graben interpreted as the surface expression of a shallow magma dike with pyroclastic cones.

Rimae Petavius

Rimae Petavius, a lunar rille system, IAU name approved 1964, on the floor of the ~180 km floor-fractured crater Petavius near Mare Fecunditatis; main rille crosses the central peak, formed by post-impact magmatism.

Rimae Pettit

Rimae Pettit is an IAU-approved lunar rille system (rima, rimae) near crater Pettit at 25.22S, 93.63W, adopted in 1985, about 320-450 km across, with Rimae Golitsyn recorded as part of it.

Rimae Pitatus

Rimae Pitatus is a system of rilles, mostly concentric fractures around the inner wall of the lava-flooded crater Pitatus on Mare Nubium, named by the IAU in 1964.

Rimae Plato

Rimae Plato, a system of lunar rilles (rimae) near the crater Plato on the Moon's northern near side, IAU-approved in 1964, centered at 50.88°N, 3.02°W with a gazetteer diameter of 180 km.

Rimae Plinius

Rimae Plinius is a 124 km system of parallel lunar rilles north of crater Plinius at the Mare Serenitatis-Tranquillitatis boundary, IAU-approved in 1964, named from the nearby crater, and bounded by faults studied via Apollo 17 data.

Rimae Posidonius

Rimae Posidonius is a sinuous lunar rille system over 130 km long on the floor of the floor-fractured crater Posidonius at Mare Serenitatis's northeast edge, carved by turbulent lava and IAU-approved in 1964.

Rimae Ramsden

Rimae Ramsden, a 100 km system of lunar rilles near crater Ramsden at about 32.9S, 31.3W on the Moon's near side; IAU-approved 1964, mapped on quad LAC-111.