Mairan (crater)

Mairan
	Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	41°36′N43°24′W / 41.6°N 43.4°W
Diameter	40 km
Depth	3.4 km
Colongitude	44° at sunrise
Eponym	Jean J. d'Ortous; de Mairan

Last updated May 31, 2024

Mairan is a lunar impact crater that is located on a highland peninsula between Oceanus Procellarum to the west and Mare Imbrium to the east. To the north-northeast is the comparably sized crater Sharp. Northwest of Mairan is the heavily eroded Louville.

The outer rim of Mairan has not been significantly eroded or impacted, and retains a sharp edge. The surface around Mairan is rough and irregular, with a multitude of many tiny craters, particularly to the south and west. The inner walls display some terracing, and flow down to a relatively flat interior floor.

Mairan is a crater of Upper (Late) Imbrian age.^[1]

Mairan domes

The volcanic complex, known as Mairan Hills or Mairan Domes, is composed of Mairan T together with three satellite domes (Mairan Northwest, Mairan Middle, and Mairan South). It was formed by two volcanic episodes 3.75±0.1 and 3.35±0.2 billion years ago, extruding a viscous silicic lava simultaneously with basalt eruptions in nearby mare. Most of volcanic complex, except for dome summits, is now buried under mare surface.^[2]

In the mare, due west of Mairan, is a small lunar dome designated Mairan T with 3.8 km wide depression at the summit (in official IAU nomenclature "Mairan T" name refers only to the depression), believed to be a caldera^[3] The width of hill is about 7 km, and height is about 800 m.^[4] It is one of four unusually steep (with slopes reaching 22-27 degrees) and bright domes in area which are thought to be formed by very viscous, high-Si lava.^[5]

The composition of domes is changing from the north to south, with Mairan Northwest composed of pyroxenes with 30% quartz admixture, while Mairan South dome composed of nearly pure quartz, with extremely high thorium concentration of 83±19 ppm.^[6]

Rima Mairan

There is a sinuous rille along the southwest edge of the highland peninsula containing Mairan. It is designated Rima Mairan, and follows a north–south course for a length of about 100 kilometers.

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 Mairan.

Mairan	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	38.6° N	38.8° W	16 km
C	38.6° N	46.0° W	7 km
D	40.9° N	45.4° W	10 km
E	37.8° N	37.2° W	6 km
F	40.3° N	45.1° W	9 km
G	40.9° N	50.8° W	6 km
H	39.3° N	40.0° W	5 km
K	40.8° N	41.0° W	6 km
L	39.0° N	43.2° W	6 km
N	39.2° N	45.5° W	6 km
T	41.7° N	48.3° W	3 km
Y	42.7° N	44.0° W	7 km

Lunar dome Mairan T
Mairan T from Apollo 15

Related Research Articles

Beaumont is a lava-flooded crater located on the southwestern shore of the Mare Nectaris on Earth's Moon. It lies to the northwest of the similarly flooded crater remnant Fracastorius. To the west is the prominent crater Catharina. The crater is named after French geologist Léonce Élie de Beaumont.

Beer is a relatively small lunar impact crater located on the Mare Imbrium, to the east of the crater Timocharis. It was named after German astronomer Wilhelm W. Beer. Just to the northwest is the matching twin Feuillée.

Catharina is an ancient lunar impact crater located in the southern highlands. It was named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria. It lies in a rugged stretch of land between the Rupes Altai scarp to the west and Mare Nectaris in the east. To the west-northwest is the crater Tacitus, and the lava-flooded Beaumont lies to the east along the shore of Mare Nectaris. To the south-southeast is Polybius.

Kies is the remnant of a lunar impact crater that has been flooded by basaltic lava, leaving only a remnant of the outer rim. It was named after German mathematician and astronomer Johann Kies. It is located in the Mare Nubium almost due south of the crater Bullialdus. Northwest of Kies is König. To the south-southwest lies a lunar dome structure designated Kies Pi (π). It has a small crater at the top and is most likely volcanic in origin.

Grimaldi is a large basin located near the western limb of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the Oceanus Procellarum, and southeast of the crater Riccioli. Between Oceanus Procellarum is Damoiseau, and to the north is Lohrmann.

Herodotus is a lunar impact crater located on a low shelf in the midst of the Oceanus Procellarum. To the east is the slightly larger crater Aristarchus. West across the mare is Schiaparelli. Almost due south on the mare surface is a solitary lunar dome designated Herodotus Omega (ω).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharp (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Sharp is a lunar impact crater located to the west of the Sinus Iridum bay of the Mare Imbrium, beyond the Montes Jura range. To the southwest is the crater Mairan. Because of its location and foreshortening, Sharp appears elliptical from the earth.

Endymion is a lunar impact crater that lies near the northeast limb of the Moon. It is located to the east of Mare Frigoris and north of Lacus Temporis. To the southwest is the somewhat smaller crater Atlas. Because of its location, Endymion has an oval appearance from foreshortening. Beyond the crater along the lunar limb is the Mare Humboldtianum.

Marius is a lunar impact crater located on the Oceanus Procellarum. The surface to the west and north of this crater contains a large number of lunar domes spread across an area over a hundred kilometers in diameter that may be of volcanic origin dubbed the Marius Hills. These domes, if volcanic, may have been formed by magma that is fairly more viscous than the volcanic material that formed the basaltic lunar maria. The nearest named crater feature is Reiner to the southwest. Kepler is located to the east-southeast, and rays from that formation reach the rim of Marius.

Hortensius is a small, bowl-shaped lunar impact crater that is located in the northern part of the Mare Insularum. It was named after 17th century Dutch astronomer Martin van den Hove.

Maraldi is a worn, eroded crater on the western edge of the Sinus Amoris, in the northeast part of the Moon. To the west-southwest is the crater Vitruvius, and to the northwest lies the worn Littrow crater. Just to the northeast of the crater is the dome-like Mons Maraldi rise.

Archytas is a lunar impact crater that protrudes into the northern edge of Mare Frigoris. To the northwest is the comparably sized crater Timaeus, and the smaller Protagoras lies in the opposite direction to the southeast. Further to the southwest, beyond the opposite edge of the mare, is the dark-floored crater Plato.

Auwers is a small lunar impact crater located in the Montes Haemus mountain range at the south edge of Mare Serenitatis. It is named after German astronomer Arthur Auwers. It lies southeast of the crater Menelaus. The irregular rim of Auwers has a gap at the north-northwest edge, which allowed lava flows to reach the crater floor and flood the interior.

Lassell is a small lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern part of the Mare Nubium. It was named after British astronomer William Lassell. It lies to the west of the crater Alpetragius and southwest of Alphonsus.

Bowditch is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the eastern limb. It is located on a region of the lunar surface that is brought into view due to libration, but at such times the area is viewed from the edge and so not much detail can be observed. It lies just to the north of the small Lacus Solitudinis lunar mare, between the craters Titius to the southwest and Perel'man to the east-northeast.

Capuanus is a lunar impact crater that lies along the southern edge of the Palus Epidemiarum. It was named after Italian astronomer F. Capuano di Manfredonia. The outer rim is eroded and indented by lesser crater impacts, with notches in the north, west, and southern parts of the rim. The interior floor has been resurfaced by basaltic lava, which is connected to the surrounding lunar mare by a narrow, crater-formed gap in the northern rim. Dotting the floor of the crater are a number of domes, which are believed to have formed through volcanic activity.

Kopff is a lunar impact crater that lies along the eastern edge of the inner Mare Orientale impact basin, on the western limb of the Moon. In this position the crater is seen from on edge from the Earth, and its visibility is affected by libration. This situation makes it difficult to discern much detail about the crater unless it is viewed from orbit.

Chrétien is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon from the Earth. It lies due south of the Mare Ingenii, one of the few maria on the Moon's far side. The crater lies in the midpoint between the craters Garavito to the west-southwest and Oresme to the east-northeast, both of these being somewhat smaller than Chrétien.

Mons Esam is a small, isolated mountain in the northern part of the Mare Tranquillitatis. It is located to the southeast of the crater Vitruvius and to the west-northwest of Lyell. To the northeast of this ridge is the bay called Sinus Amoris.

Donna is a tiny lunar crater on the near side of the Moon. Its name is an Italian female given name, and does not refer to a specific person. It is located in the eastern half of the Mare Tranquillitatis, at the summit of the lunar dome Omega (ω) Cauchy. As such domes are thought to be volcanic in nature, it appears likely that this crater was created by an eruption. This is in contrast to most lunar craters, which are now believed to be created by impacts. This crater is sufficiently small that it requires a large telescope to resolve.

References

↑ The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 11.2.
↑ Geology of Mairan middle dome: Its implication to silicic volcanism on the Moon
↑ "Mairan". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
↑ Tran, T.; Robinson, M. S.; Lawrence, S. J.; Braden, S. E.; Plescia, J.; Hawke, B. R.; et al. (March 2011). "Morphometry of Lunar Volcanic Domes from LROC" (PDF). 42nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Held March 7–11, 2011 at the Woodlands, Texas. LPI Contribution (1608 p.2228): 2228. Bibcode:2011LPI....42.2228T.
↑ Lena R.; Wöhler C.; Phillips J.; Chiocchetta M. T. (2013). Lunar Domes: Properties and Formation Processes. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. vii, 5–13, 35, 42. Bibcode:2013ldpf.book.....L. doi:10.1007/978-88-470-2637-7. ISBN 9788847026377.
↑ The Mairan domes: Silicic volcanic constructs on the Moon

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[1] The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 11.2.

[2] Geology of Mairan middle dome: Its implication to silicic volcanism on the Moon

[3] "Mairan". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.

[Tran_2011-4] Tran, T.; Robinson, M. S.; Lawrence, S. J.; Braden, S. E.; Plescia, J.; Hawke, B. R.; et al. (March 2011). "Morphometry of Lunar Volcanic Domes from LROC" (PDF). 42nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Held March 7–11, 2011 at the Woodlands, Texas. LPI Contribution (1608 p.2228): 2228. Bibcode:2011LPI....42.2228T.

[Lena_2013-5] Lena R.; Wöhler C.; Phillips J.; Chiocchetta M. T. (2013). Lunar Domes: Properties and Formation Processes. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. vii, 5–13, 35, 42. Bibcode:2013ldpf.book.....L. doi:10.1007/978-88-470-2637-7. ISBN 9788847026377.

[6] The Mairan domes: Silicic volcanic constructs on the Moon

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Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	41°36′N43°24′W / 41.6°N 43.4°W / 41.6; -43.4
Diameter	40 km
Depth	3.4 km
Colongitude	44° at sunrise
Eponym	Jean J. d'Ortous de Mairan