Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

Look at that flow!

Spectacular rubbley impact melt, flowing away from its parent crater. Across the widest part of the terminal lobe, the flow is ~115 m. LROC NAC image M153863408R, image is 500 m across [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Yesterday's Featured Image highlighted boulders eroding out of a hill in the Anaxagoras crater impact melt pond. The opening image above highlights an impact melt flow located on the lunar far side at 23.99°N, 209.94°E. The impact melt flowed from its source crater through rubbley ejecta before it cooled. There are several lobes at the terminus of the flow; perhaps these lobes "broke out" when the surface of the flow cooled but the interior of the flow remained hot and could still flow. The farthest-reaching lobe extends for about 95 m past the large lobe. There are some small boulders, <10 m across, that are entrained in the impact melt, but most of blocks close by seem pushed or maneuvered there by the flow, much like a levee formed during a volcanic flow. 

LROC WAC monochrome mosaic context of the impact melt flow. Asterisk notes the flow, which is located in a relatively typical far side highland area (lots of large, old craters, few large fresh craters, and no mare) [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

How much of the flow do you observe the full LROC NAC image and can you trace its path across the image?

Related Posts: Out of the Shadows: Impact Melt at Byrgius A

Forked Impact Melt Flows at Farside Crater

Impact Melt Flows on Giordano Bruno

Epigenes A


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