The surface of the Moon has many features, including mountains and valleys, craters, and plains, amongst others.
Lunar plain features
Lunar maria (singular mare) are large, dark, regions of the Moon. They do not contain any water, but are believed to have been formed from molten rock from the Moon's mantle coming out onto the surface of the Moon. This list also includes the one oceanus and the features known by the names lacus, palus and sinus. The modern system of lunar nomenclature was introduced in 1651 by Riccioli. Riccioli's map of the Moon was drawn by Francesco Maria Grimaldi, who has a crater named after him.
There is also a region on the Lunar farside that was briefly misidentified as a mare and named Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire). It is no longer recognized. Other former maria include: Mare Parvum ("Small Sea"), immediately to the east of Inghirami Mare Incognitum ("Unknown Sea") Mare Novum ("New Sea"), northeast of Plutarch Mare Struve ("Struve's Sea"), near Messala
A related set of features are the Lunar lacus (singular lacus, Latin for "lake"), which are smaller basaltic plains of similar origin. A related set of features are the sinus (singular sinus, Latin for "bay") and paludes (singular palus, Latin for "marsh"). Some sources also list a Palus Nebularum ("Marsh of Mists") at 38.0° N, 1.0° E, but the designation for this feature has not been officially recognized by the IAU.
Craters The large majority of these features are impact craters. The crater nomenclature is governed by the International Astronomical Union, and this list only includes features that are officially recognized by that scientific society.
The lunar craters are listed in the following subsections. Where a formation has associated satellite craters (smaller associated craters), these are detailed on the main crater description pages.
Catenae A catena is a chain of craters. NameCoordinatesDiameterName originCatena Abulfeda219 kmAfter nearby crater AbulfedaCatena Artamonov134 kmAfter nearby crater ArtamonovCatena Brigitte5 kmFrench feminine nameCatena Davy50 kmAfter nearby crater DavyCatena Dziewulski80 kmAfter nearby crater DziewulskiCatena Gregory152 kmAfter nearby crater GregoryCatena Humboldt165 kmAfter nearby crater HumboldtCatena Krafft60 kmAfter nearby crater KrafftCatena Kurchatov226 kmAfter nearby crater KurchatovCatena Leuschner364 kmAfter nearby crater LeuschnerCatena Littrow10 kmAfter nearby crater LittrowCatena Lucretius271 kmAfter nearby crater LucretiusCatena Mendeleev188 kmAfter nearby crater MendeleevCatena Michelson456 kmAfter nearby crater MichelsonCatena Pierre9 kmFrench masculine nameCatena Sumner247 kmAfter nearby crater SumnerCatena Sylvester173 kmAfter nearby crater SylvesterCatena Taruntius100 kmAfter nearby crater TaruntiusCatena Timocharis50 kmAfter nearby crater TimocharisCatena Yuri5 kmRussian masculine name
Valleys
Several large lunar valleys have been given names. Most of them are named after a nearby crater; see the list of craters on the Moon for more information.
ValleyCoordinatesDimensionEponymCrater Vallis Alpes166 km Latin name meaning "Alpine valley" None Vallis Baade203 km Walter Baade Baade Vallis Bohr80 km Niels Bohr Bohr Vallis Bouvard284 km Alexis Bouvard None Vallis Capella49 km Martianus Capella Capella Vallis Inghirami148 km Giovanni Inghirami Inghirami Vallis Palitzsch132 km Johann Palitzsch Palitzsch Vallis Planck451 km Max Planck Planck Vallis Rheita445 km Anton Maria Schyrleus of Rheita Rheita Vallis Schrödinger310 km Erwin Schrödinger Schrödinger Vallis Schröteri168 km Johann Hieronymus Schröter Schröter Vallis Snellius592 km Willebrord Snell Snellius
Mountains
The heights of the isolated mountains or massifs listed here are not consistently reported across sources. In the 1960s, the US Army Mapping Service used elevation relative to 1,737,988 meters from the center of the Moon. In the 1970s, the US Defense Mapping Agency used 1,730,000 meters. The Clementine topographic data published in the 1990s uses 1,737,400 meters.
This list is not comprehensive, and does not list the highest places on the Moon. Clementine data show a range of about 18,100 meters from lowest to highest point on the Moon. The highest point, located on the far side of the Moon, is approximately 6500 meters higher than Mons Huygens (usually listed as the tallest mountain).
Mountains are referred to using the Latin word mons (plural montes).
NameLat./Long.Dia.Ht.Name originMons Agnes0.65 km0.03 kmGreek feminine nameMons Ampère30 km3.0 kmAndré-Marie Ampère, physicistMons André10 km7.0 kmFrench masculine nameMons Ardeshir8 km5.9 km Ardeshir (Ardashir), Persian male nameMons Argaeus50 km2.6 kmMount Erciyes, Asia MinorMont Blanc25 km3.6 kmMont Blanc, the AlpsMons Bradley30 km4.2 kmJames Bradley, astronomerMons Delisle30 km1.0 kmNamed after nearby crater DelisleMons Dieter20 km8.0 kmGerman masculine nameMons Dilip2 km5.5 kmIndian masculine nameMons Esam8 km0.4 kmArabic masculine nameMons Ganau14 km7.9 kmAfrican masculine nameMons Gruithuisen Delta20 km1.8 kmNamed after nearby crater GruithuisenMons Gruithuisen Gamma20 km1.5 kmNamed after nearby crater GruithuisenMons Hadley25 km4.6 kmJohn Hadley, inventorMons Hadley Delta15 km3.5 kmNamed after nearby Mount HadleyMons Hansteen30 km Named after nearby crater HansteenMons Herodotus5 km1.0 kmNamed after nearby crater HerodotusMons Huygens40 km4.7 kmChristiaan Huygens, astronomerMons La Hire25 km1.5 kmPhilippe de la Hire, astronomerMons Maraldi15 km1.3 kmNamed after nearby crater MaraldiMons Moro10 km Antonio Lazzaro Moro, Earth scientistMons Penck30 km4.0 kmAlbrecht Penck, geographerMons Pico25 km2.0 kmSpanish for "peak"Mons Piton25 km2.3 kmEl Pitón, a summit of Mount Teide, TenerifeMons Rümker70 km0.5 kmKarl Ludwig Christian Rümker, astronomerMons Usov15 km Mikhail Usov, geologistMons VinogradovFormerly called Mons Euler.25 km1.4 kmAleksandr Pavlovich Vinogradov, chemistMons Vitruvius15 km2.3 kmNamed after nearby crater VitruviusMons Wolff35 km3.5 kmBaron Christian von Wolff, philosopher
Mountain ranges
NameLat./Long.Dia.Name originMontes Agricola141 kmGeorgius Agricola, Earth scientistMontes Alpes281 kmThe Alps, EuropeMontes Apenninus401 kmThe Apennine Mountains, ItalyMontes Archimedes163 kmNamed after nearby crater ArchimedesMontes Carpatus361 kmThe Carpathian Mountains, EuropeMontes Caucasus445 kmThe Caucasus Mountains, EuropeMontes Cordillera574 kmSpanish for "mountain chain"Montes Haemus560 kmGreek name for the Balkan MountainsMontes Harbinger90 kmHarbingers of dawn on the crater AristarchusMontes Jura422 kmThe Jura Mountains, EuropeMontes Pyrenaeus164 kmThe Pyrenees Mountains, EuropeMontes Recti90 kmLatin for "straight range"Montes Riphaeus189 kmGreek name for the Ural Mountains, RussiaMontes Rook791 kmLawrence Rook, astronomerMontes Secchi50 kmNamed after nearby crater SecchiMontes Spitzbergen60 kmNamed after German for "sharp peaks" and for resemblance to the Spitsbergen islandsMontes Taurus172 kmTaurus Mountains, Asia MinorMontes Teneriffe182 kmTenerife island
Other features
The Moon's surface exhibits many other geological features. In addition to mountains, valleys, and impact craters, the following surface features have received names in the Lunar nomenclature, many of them named after a nearby crater or mountain.
The listed diameter for these features is the longest dimension that contains the entire geological formation. The latitudes and longitudes are in selenographic coordinates.
Albedo These features have a high albedo compared to the surrounding terrain.
NameCoordinatesDiameterName originReiner Gamma70.0 kmAfter nearby crater Reiner
On the far side of the Moon there are unnamed albedo features on Mare Ingenii and Mare Marginis. These are located antipodal to the Mare Imbrium and Mare Orientale impact basins.
Dorsa A dorsum (plural dorsa, meaning back or ridge) is a wrinkle-ridge system commonly found on lunar maria. NameCoordinatesDia.Name originDorsa Aldrovandi136 kmUlisse Aldrovandi (1522–1605)Dorsa Andrusov160 kmNicolai Ivanovich Andrusov (1861–1924)Dorsum Arduino107 kmGiovanni Arduino (1714–1795)Dorsa Argand109 kmEmile Argand (1879–1940)Dorsum Azara105 kmFélix Manuel de Azara (1746–1811)Dorsa Barlow120 kmWilliam Barlow (1845–1934)Dorsum Bucher90 kmWalter Hermann Bucher (1889–1965)Dorsum Buckland380 kmWilliam Buckland (1784–1856)Dorsa Burnet194 kmThomas Burnet (1635–1715)Dorsa Cato140 kmCato the Elder (234–149 BC)Dorsum Cayeux84 kmLucien Cayeux (1864–1944)Dorsum Cloos100 kmHans Cloos (1885–1951)Dorsum Cushman80 kmJoseph Augustine Cushman (1881–1949)Dorsa Dana70 kmJames Dwight Dana (1813–1895)Dorsa Ewing141 kmWilliam Maurice Ewing (1906–1974)Dorsum Gast60 kmPaul Werner Gast (1930–1973)Dorsa Geikie228 kmSir Archibald Geikie (1835–1924)Dorsum Grabau121 kmAmadeus William Grabau (1870–1946)Dorsum Guettard40 kmJean-Etienne Guettard (1715–1786)Dorsa Harker197 kmAlfred Harker (1859–1939)Dorsum Heim148 kmAlbert Heim (1849–1937)Dorsum Higazy60 kmRiad Higazy (1919–1967)Dorsa Lister203 kmMartin Lister (1639–1712)Dorsa Mawson132 kmDouglas Mawson (1882–1958)Dorsum Nicol50 kmWilliam Nicol (1768–1851)Dorsum Niggli50 kmPaul Niggli (1888–1953)Dorsum Oppel268 kmAlbert Oppel (1831–1865)Dorsum Owen50 kmGeorge Owen (1552–1613)Dorsa Rubey100 kmWilliam Walden Rubey (1898–1974)Dorsum Scilla108 kmAgostino Scilla (1639–1700)Dorsa Smirnov156 kmSergei Sergeevich Smirnov (1895–1947)Dorsa Sorby80 kmHenry Clifton Sorby (1826–1908)Dorsa Stille80 kmHans Stille (1876–1966)Dorsum Termier90 kmPierre-Marie Termier (1859–1930)Dorsa Tetyaev176 kmMikhail Mikhailovich Tetyaev (1882–1956)Dorsum Thera7 kmGreek feminine nameDorsum Von Cotta199 kmCarl Bernard von Cotta (1808–1879)Dorsa Whiston85 kmWilliam Whiston (1667–1752)Dorsum Zirkel193 kmFerdinand Zirkel (1838–1912)
Promontoria These features form a cape or headland on a mare. NameCoordinatesDia.Name originPromontorium Agarum70 kmNamed from a cape in the Sea of AzovPromontorium Agassiz20 kmJean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz (1807–1873)Promontorium Archerusia10 kmNamed from a cape on the Black SeaPromontorium Deville20 kmCharles Joseph Sainte-Claire Deville (1814–1876)Promontorium Fresnel20 kmAugustin Jean Fresnel (1788–1827)Promontorium Heraclides50 kmHeraclides PonticusPromontorium Kelvin50 kmWilliam Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824–1907)Promontorium Laplace50 kmPierre Simon Laplace (1749–1827)Promontorium Taenarium70 kmNamed from cape in GreeceNow Matapan or Tainaron
Rimae Rimae (singular rima) are lunar rilles.