April 30, 2011

Miracle Material

image by Mario Weigand, Offenbach am Main / Germany

One of the remarkable things about whatever the material is that covered the original floor of Albategnius
is that it didn't spread and smooth out underlying irregularities. Mario's marvelous low light view captures
the shallow depressions that mark buried craters and crater chains. The surface is relatively smooth so
the material did flow, but it seems to have been stiff enough to not be compressible and to not fill in nearby
lows. If water had been splashed into the crater its fluidity would allowed it to achieve an equipotential sur-
face, obliterating the low spots. I suppose that a mathematically clever person could derive innformation
about the physical characteristics of the flow material - presumably Imbrium ejecta (because there are no
dark halo craters indicating buried basalt). But I am satisfied to have a qualitative understanding and to
enjoy the impact crater placed on the crater's central peak, ready to lure out old defenders of volcanism.

Chuck Wood
OT: Lunar green flashes.

Technical Details
See bottom of image

Related Links
Rükl plates 44
Mario's website
Two earlier views: 1 and 2

Yesterday's LPOD: Sizing Up the Solar System

Tomorrow's LPOD: A Little Slice of Solitude

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