Rupes Cauchy is a 120 km-long escarpment at on the surface of the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

. It faces southwest, and rises about 200–300 m. It is located in the northeastern portion of the

Mare Tranquillitatis Mare Tranquillitatis (Latin ''tranquillitātis'', the Sea of Tranquillity or Sea of Tranquility; see spelling differences) is a lunar mare that sits within the Tranquillitatis basin on the Moon. It is the first location on another world to be ...

, and is named after the nearby crater

Cauchy Baron Augustin-Louis Cauchy (, ; ; 21 August 178923 May 1857) was a French mathematician, engineer, and physicist who made pioneering contributions to several branches of mathematics, including mathematical analysis and continuum mechanics. He w ...

. The east end of Rupes Cauchy emerges from the highlands on the eastern margin of Mare Tranquillitatis. The 3.6 km diameter crater Cauchy C intersects the Rupes due south of Cauchy crater itself. Cauchy E and F lie to the north side of the Rupes, and Cauchy B lies on the south side. At the west end of the Rupes are two similar-sized elongate depressions (unlikely to be impact craters). Between Cauchy B and the depressions the Rupes form an en echelon pattern, similar to that of veins within rock on earth, on a grand scale. The similar-sized craters Sinas J and H lie to the west of the depressions. Rupes Cauchy casts a thin shadow about five days after the

new moon In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclipse. ...

, when the sunrise

terminator Terminator may refer to: Science and technology Genetics * Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription * Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...

is nearby and the sunlight is arriving at a low angle. The feature name is shown as ''Fossa Casals'' on a 1974 mapLTO-61A3 Cauchy
Lunar Topographic Orthophotomap (LTO) Series based on

Apollo 15 Apollo 15 (July 26August 7, 1971) was the ninth crewed mission in the United States' Apollo program and the fourth to Moon landing, land on the Moon. It was the first List of Apollo missions#Alphabetical mission types, J mission, with a ...

photographs, but the name was not approved by the

IAU The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach ...

.Rupes Cauchy
Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) The term ''Rupes'' was used in favor of ''Fossa'' for the names of lunar scarps (such as

Rupes Recta Rupes Recta is a linear fault on the Moon, in the southeastern part of the Mare Nubium at . The name is Latin for ''straight cliff'', although it is more commonly called the ''Straight Wall''. This is the most well-known escarpment on the Moon, an ...

Rupes Altai Rupes Altai is an escarpment in the lunar surface that is located in the southeastern quadrant of the Moon's near side. It is named for the Altai Mountains in Asia, and is the most prominent lunar escarpment. The selenographic coordinates of this f ...

References

Escarpments on the Moon {{Escarpments on the Moon