Featured Images

Thousands of Thrust Faults!

Prominent lobate thrust fault scarp in the Mandel’shtam cluster, one of the thousands discovered in Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) images. The fault scarp or cliff is like a stair-step in the lunar landscape formed when the...

Published on 14 Feb 2023

Ancient Impact Melt

Lobate margin of ancient impact melt flow within a nameless farside crater, 45.84° S, 227.32° E, NAC M1117380495LR [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 28 Dec 2022

Feature Mosaics: Behind the Seams

A seamless mosaic of a portion of Karpinsky crater (91 km diameter, 72.61° N, 166.80°E) seamless mosaic. Scene is 55 km across, NAC images M1309496597L/R, M1309503618L/R, M1309510644L/R, M1309517669L/R, and M1309524696L/R...

Published on 16 Mar 2020

Lobate Scarps: The Movie

Lobate scarps - like those shown here on the floor of the farside crater d'Alembert - are not large, but they tell us much about how hot the Moon was when it was born and its ongoing thermal evolution. Image width is about four...

Published on 31 Oct 2018

Curiously Fast Degradation of Small Lunar Craters

Taurus-Littrow valley, geologic exploration target for Apollo 17 and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera study team led by Dr. Prasun Mahanti.  Center latitude 20.15°N, center longitude 30.98°E, image 18 km wide, image...

Published on 24 Apr 2018

NAC Anaglyph: Humboldt Crater Floor

A floor fracture and central peak structure on the floor of Humboldt Crater (207 km diameter) that  formed directly after impact. Intrusive volcanic activity likely caused the floor of the crater to lift up and then fracture ...

Published on 06 Apr 2018

Investigating Newly Discovered Lobate Scarps

Joy scarp (25.28°N, 6.84°E) extends from the lower left to upper right across this scene, and is found northeast of Joy crater (not seen) in a hummocky terrain between Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis. Ejecta from the fresh, 300-m...

Published on 05 Oct 2017

NAC Anaglyph: Triesnecker Fractures

A graben (a negative relief feature) in Sinus Medii that is part of a complex fracture system named Rimae Triesnecker, which represents deep tectonic deformatoin of the crust [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 22 Sep 2017

'Shaping' Lunar Science with Vector Data

Twenty new shapefiles created by the LROC Team are now available! A few of the shapefiles shown here include mare age units, footprints of digital terrain models (DTMs), and the locations of small geologic features such as...

Published on 18 Jul 2017

NAC Anaglyph: Aitken Lobate Scarp

Lobate scarp in Aitken Crater, on the lunar farside [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 22 Jan 2016

NAC Anaglyph: Lobate Scarp near Van der Waals K

A lobate scarp near Van der Waals K Crater [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 06 Nov 2015

NAC Anaglyph: Mendel Scarp

A scarp weaves its way through the battered terrain of Mendel crater [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 23 Oct 2015

Faulted Kipuka

This striking mountain within Mare Imbrium was altered at its base by the formation of a lobate scarp. A wrinkle ridge runs into the base of the mountain (bottom right). Image width is approximately 4.5 km. LROC NAC image M1098943917R...

Published on 21 Mar 2014

Stratification in a Tranquil Sea

Bright talus winds downslope through crags and crannies in the banded scarps exposed in the east wall of Dionysius crater. Horizontal lineations result from differential mass wasting of stratified rock in Mare Tranquilitatis; LROC NAC...

Published on 13 Mar 2014

Station 6 - Apollo 17

Station 6 allowed Apollo 17 astronauts to explore a collection of boulders and regolith that represents the rocks from the mighty North Massif. Five large boulder fragments lie at the base of a long boulder trail, all from a single...

Published on 13 Dec 2013

Offset Floor of Buys-Ballot Crater

Ridge along the edge of Buys-Ballot crater floor. LROC NAC M1095343282L, image center 21.321°N, 175.152°E, image width 1.41 km [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 05 Dec 2013

Wrinkles in Mare Frigoris

A complex wrinkle ridge deforms Mare Frigoris (52.935°N; 11.131°E). NAC frame M181102837R, illumination is from the west (left), north is up, image is ~2.0 km wide. White arrow indicates small extensional feature discussed in text....

Published on 10 Oct 2013

Looking East Over Reiner Gamma

LROC NAC oblique image looking west to east over the Reiner Gamma Formation (7.409°N, 300.972°E, north is to the left). Image is ~22 km wide (M1127569280). Arrows highlight a scarp formed by thrust faulting [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State...

Published on 19 Sep 2013

Squished Crater

A lobate scarp cuts across and deforms an ancient impact scar on the floor of Seares crater. NAC M187315000LR, image width 1.95 km [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 11 Apr 2013

Numerov's Graben

Normal faults in regolith formed graben in Numerov crater. Only a handful of small craters superpose the faults, indicating a young age. LROC NAC M171619370RE, image width is 600 m [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 14 Feb 2013