Part D

Geology of the Moon

Although most significant geologic processes are no longer active on the Moon, the dynamic events of its distant past are recorded in its rocks. The Moon likely formed from the collision between Earth and a Mars-sized planetesimal about 4.5 billion years ago. Like the rest of the planets in the young Solar System, the Moon experienced a period of intense impact cratering. Volcanism also occurred across its surface, with some of the larger impacts producing large impact basins that subsequently filled with bsaltic lava. This activity progressively decreased and after about a billion years or so, the impact processes and volcanism had waned. With no plate tectonic activity to drive geologic processes, the Moon has been largely quiet for the last 3 billion years or so.

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Near Side Geology

Let's explore the geology of the Moon, starting with the near side, or the side that always faces the Earth.

 

Answer Quiz Me! questions D31 through D43 using the Geologic Map of the Near Side of the Moon (see the PDF link below).

 

Principle Data Sources & Map Scale

Quiz Me! / D31

 

Quiz Me! / D32  

 

Quiz Me! / D33 

 

 

Explanation of Map Units

 Quiz Me! / D34  

 

Quiz Me! / D35  

 

Quiz Me! / D36 

 

 

Geologic Map

Quiz Me! / D37 

 

Quiz Me! / D38 

 

Quiz Me! / D39 

 

Quiz Me! / D40 

 

Quiz Me! / D41 

 

Quiz Me! / D42

 

Quiz Me! / D43

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Far Side Geology

Now we go to the Moon's far side. Note: the far side of the Moon is not the "dark side", as sometimes it gets direct sunlight and sometimes it doesn't, just like the near side. Again, it's a big map, so it may take a minute to load.

 

Answer Quiz Me! questions D44 through D50 using the Geologic Map of the Central Far Side of the Moon (see the PDF link below).

 

Data Sources & Map Scale

Quiz Me! / D44

 

Quiz Me! / D45

 

Quiz Me! / D46

 

 

Correlation of Map Units & Description of Map Units

Quiz Me! / D47  

 

Quiz Me! / D48

 

  

Geologic Map

Quiz Me! / D49

 

Quiz Me! / D50