Mare Undarum (Latin ''undārum'', the "sea of waves") is a shallow, irregular
lunar mare located just north of
Mare Spumans on the lunar near side, between the crater
Firmicus and the eastern limb. It lies within a trough between the third and fourth raised rings formed by the impact that created the
Mare Crisium.
[ The selenographic coordinates of this mare are 7.5° N, 68.7° E. It has a maximum diameter of 245 km.][
There are five known lunar domes within the mare.][ The surrounding basin material is of the Nectarian ]epoch
In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured.
The moment of epoch is usually decided ...
, with the mare basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
being of the Upper Imbrian
The Imbrian is a lunar geologic period divided into two epochs, the Early and Late.
Early Imbrian
In the lunar geologic timescale, the Early Imbrian epoch occurred from 3,850 million years ago to about 3,800 million years ago. It overlaps the end ...
epoch. The crater Dubyago can be seen on the southern edge of the mare. On the northeastern edge of the mare is the crater Condorcet P.
When Mädler observed this area in the 1830s, he noted variations in the curved dark streaks that form this mare, leading him to speculate that the changes were caused by vegetation.
Fictional References
Mare Undarum was the location of the second catapult in Robert A. Heinlein's novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. The exact location of the catapult was kept secret and was "A matter of Lunar national security."
Gallery
Mundarum.jpg, Mare Undarum from the NASA Lunar Atlas
Mare_Undarum_AS17-M-1626.jpg, Oblique view of Mare Undarum (foreground) and Mare Spumans (upper right), facing south, from Apollo 17
LAC 62.jpg, Chart of Mare Undarum and surroundings
See also
* Volcanism on the Moon
References
External links
NASA lunar Atlas
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{{Lunar maria
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