De Gasparis (crater)

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De Gasparis
De Gasparis crater 4149 h1.jpg
Coordinates 25°54′S50°42′W / 25.9°S 50.7°W / -25.9; -50.7 Coordinates: 25°54′S50°42′W / 25.9°S 50.7°W / -25.9; -50.7
Diameter 30 km
Depth None
Colongitude 51° at sunrise
Eponym Annibale de Gasparis

de Gasparis is a lunar crater that is located in the southwest part of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the crater Cavendish and south of Mersenius.

Contents

The rim of de Gasparis is worn and eroded, and the interior has been flooded by basaltic lava. The surviving outer rim reaches a maximum altitude of about 0.8 km.

This crater is notable for the formation of rilles that criss-cross the floor and the surrounding surface. This system of clefts in the surface is designated Rimae de Gasparis, and they span an area of about 130 kilometers in diameter. The rilles are thought to have been created due to tectonic faults deep below the surface. As they cut across de Gasparis, this indicates that they were formed after the crater.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to de Gasparis.

de GasparisLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A26.7° S51.3° W37 km
B27.0° S52.5° W12 km
C26.3° S51.7° W6 km
D25.7° S50.1° W4 km
E26.4° S49.4° W7 km
F26.3° S49.3° W8 km
G27.0° S49.3° W6 km

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