Mare Humorum

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Mare Humorum
Mhumorum.jpg
Mare Humorum. Several connections exist to Oceanus Procellarum to the north. The rather large crater to the north of the mare is Gassendi. The crater on the southeastern rim of the basin is Doppelmayer. The light grey feature that protrudes into the mare from the southeast is Promontorium Kelvin.
Coordinates 24°24′S 38°36′W / 24.4°S 38.6°W / -24.4; -38.6Coordinates: 24°24′S 38°36′W / 24.4°S 38.6°W / -24.4; -38.6
Diameter 389 km (242 mi)[1]
Eponym Sea of Moisture

Mare Humorum (the "Sea of Moisture") is a lunar mare. The impact basin it is located in is 825 kilometers across. It was not sampled by the Apollo program, so a precise age has not been determined. However, geological mapping indicates that it is intermediate in age between the Imbrium and Nectaris Basins, suggesting an age of about 3.9 billion years. Humorum Basin is filled with a thick layer of mare basalt, believed to exceed 3 kilometers in thickness at the center of the basin. On the north edge of Mare Humorum is the large crater Gassendi, which was considered as a possible landing site for Apollo 17.

Lunar nearside with major maria and craters labelled.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Moon Mare/Maria". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/SearchResults?target=MOON&featureType=Mare%2C%20maria. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 


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