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Geologic Map of the Near Side of the Moon

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Geologic Map of the Near Side of the Moon EUSGS science for a changing world Geologic Map of the Near Side of the Moon / By Don E. Wilhelms and John F. McCauley ~ 5= ~ [ A) Prepared on behalf of the a.= National Aeronautics and Space Administration ~ ('} and in cooperation with the A)e. USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center ~ 1~ 'e. f') Geologic Investigations Series Map 1-703 aA) "C e, ;. ~ z ~ r:l:l 5: e,~ ...CS' ~ ~ 8 = e.r:l:l ~ """"' ctit g § ~ A) "C.. e~ 1971 (Reprinted 2000) U.S. Department of the Interior 0 Printed on recycled paper U.S. Geological Survey DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR TO ACCOMPANY MAP 1-703 UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY '·" GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE NEAR SIDE OF THE MOON By Don E. Wilhelms and John F. McCauley RATIONALE, METHODS, AND FORMAT the Moon and produced a workable nearside stratig­ raphy (Shoemaker and Hackman, 1962; McCauley, The chief purpose of the 1 :5,000,000-scale map is 1967b; Wilhelms, 1970b). Prior to the Lunar to summarize the current state of lunar geologic Orbiters, telescopic resolution limitations dictated knowledge as developed from the U.S. Geological emphasis on the grosser aspects of lunar geology: Survey's systematic lunar mapping program, which the structures and ejecta blankets associated with began in 1960. Like terrestrial synoptic maps it the multiringed basins, the major craters, and the provides a stratigraphic framework to be used for stratigraphic relations between the generally developing new theory and for determining the younger maria and older terrae. The main products regional significance of surface exploration results. of the telescopic work were 36 1:1 ,000,000-scale The geologic summary which accompanies the map geologic quadrangle maps (those marked "T" in gives the major genetic and historical conclusions table 1) and a 1 :5,000,000-scale preliminary map which stem from the work. The map explanation of the region 32°N. to 32°S. and 70°E. to 70°W. provides the descriptive details that led to these (Wilhelms, Trask, and Keith, 1965). Before the conclusions. This pamphlet discusses the rationale systematic program began, Hackman and Mason methods, and nomenclature of lunar stratigraphy: (1961) produced a set of three nearside maps at a specifically for those interested in why and how the scale of 1:3,800,000 from telescopic data; these map was produced. maps emphasized the geology, physiography and The work is based both on results of the telescopic ray- crater distribution. mapping program and on data from the unmanned lunar exploration program, particularly the regional 1 U.s e f u I . c .o II e c t ions of photographs from a II 1 Orbtter ~tsstons, accompanied by geologically oriented coverage of Lunar Orbiter IV The early telescopic explanatiOns, appear in Lowman ( 1969) and Kosofsky and studies established the geologic heterogeneity of El-Baz (1970). TABLE I.-Authors, dates, data sources, and publication status of U.S. Geological survey 1:1,000,000-scale geologic maps (see index map on map sheet) Prepared from Published in Misc. Geol. LAC telescopic data Inv. Series (I) or available Author Date number (T) or Lunar in preliminary uncolored Orbiter data (0) form in the open files (P) 11 G.E. Ulrich ....................... 1969 .............. T & 0 12 ~~:·:~G~;~f!~cher} ·· · · · · · ·· · · · { :~~~~,; ·. ·... ·.. ·. ·. ·.. ·.. ·: b·. ·..· .·: ·. ·. ·... · .· .· ·· · · · · .·: .· ~ B K L h' · · · · · · · · · · · · .l 13 . ucc ttta .................... in press . 0 . ............ I 23 R.E. Eggleton and E. I. Smith ......... 1967. ...... T & 0 ................... P 24 GGshbN .J .p c a er ..................... 1969 . .......T & 0 .................. l 25 N .J . p age ........................ 1970 . ...... T & 0 .................. 1 26 o: H. ~~~~t. ·. ·. ·. ·. ~ ~ : : : : .· .· .· .· .· .· ..· .· .· : : : ~::~~s~ ·. ·. ·. ·. ·.. ·. ·. ~ ~ ::: : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :: ~ ..... ............ ·· · · · · · · · J p 27 MHJ .J . MG ro Iter ...................... 1970 . 0 ..... · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · .P 38 . oore . 1967 . T ............. I 39 ~\:oore . 1965 . T : : : : : : : : ............. I 40 R j HCarr . 1965 . T . .. I 41 MH ~ckman . 1966 . T . ............ I 42 H . arr . 1966 . T . I 43 .A. Pohn ....................... 1965...... ....... T p 44 A.B. Binder ...................... 1965 . T ..................... C.J. Casella and} . ........ · · · · p A.B. Binder · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 10 press · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0 · . · . ............ I 1 TABLE I.-Authors, dates, data sources, and publication status of U.S. Geological survey 1:1,000,000-scale geologic maps (see index map on map sheet)-continued Prep~ed from Published in Misc. Geol. LAC telescopic data Inv. Series (I) or available Author Date number (T) or Lunar in preliminary uncolored Orbiter data (0) form in the open files (P) 56 J.F. McCauley ............ 1967 ................. T........ ............ I 57 R.J. Hackman ............ 1962...... ........ T. ............ I 58 H. H. Schmitt, N.J. Trask and E.M. Shoemaker ....... 1967. ........ T. ............ I 59 D.E. Wilhelms ........... 1968.. ........ T. ............ I 60 E.C. Morris and D .E. Wilhelms ........... 1967 ................ T ..................... I 61 D.E. Wilhelms ........... ..... ·{1965 ................T ..................... P in press .............. 0 . ............ I 62 H. Masursky ............. ...... 1965 ................ T ..................... P 74 J.F. McCauley ............ ·{~964 ................ T ..................... P 1n prep..... ........ T........ ............ I 75 C.H. Marshall ............ 1963.... ........ T. ............ I 76 R.E. Eggleton ............ 1965....... ........ T........ ............ I 77 K.A. Howard and H. Masursky 1968....... ........ T........ ............ I 78 D.J. Milton .............. 1968....... ........ T ...................... I 79 D.P. Elston .............. ...... {1965 ................ T ..................... P in press . 0 . I 80 J.D. Ryan and D.E. Wilhelms . 1965 ................ T ..................... P · C.A. Hodges ............. in prep..... ........ 0. ............ I 92 N.J. Trask ............... 1965 ................. T ..................... P H.J. Wilshire ............. in prep..... ....... 0. ............ I 93 S.R. Titley .............. 1967. ........ T..... ............ I 94 N.J. Trask and S.R. Titley ... 1966....... ........ T ...................... I 95 H.E. Holt ................ 1965 ................. T ...................... P 96 L.C. Rowan ............. ·{1965 ................ T ...................... P in press . 0 . I 97 D.P. Elston .............. 1965 ................. T ..................... P D.E. Stuart-Alexander and R. E. Tabor . in press . 0 . I 98 D.E. Wilhelms.. 1965 ................. T........ ............ P C.A. Hodges . in prep ............... 0 . ............ I 110 T.N.V. Karlstrom. 1971 ................. 0. ............ P 111 R.S. Saunders . 1970 ................. 0 ...................... P 112 H. A. Pohn . in press .............. 0 . ............ I 113 N.D. Cozad and S.R. Titley . 1966 . ........ T . ............ P D.H. Scott. in press .............. 0 . ............ I 114 D.E. Stuart-Alexander . ..... {1966 . ........ T. ............ P in press .............. 0...... ............ I 125 T. W. Offield ............. in press .............. 0........ ............ I 126 D. Cummings ............ in press . 0 . I 127 T.A. Mutch and R.S. Saunders ............ in press . ........0 . ............ I Lunar Orbiter mission IV, May 1967, provided low­ especially in the terrae, are not seen or are difficult to sun photographs of most of the near side of the Moon describe and delineate on Earth-based photographs. at a resolution about 10 times better than that of tele­ The resolution and the equally important contiguous scopic photographs.2 Approximately 108 usable photo­ coverage attained by Orbiter IV permitted construction graphs whose original readout scale is approximately of more detailed and meaningful 1: 1,000,000-scale 1:700,000 cover the area mapped. At Orbiter IV reso­ maps, particularly of the terrae, and prompted the lution-70 to 150m-the surface of the Moon exhibits a preparation of this more refined and areally expanded wide variety of land-surface forms, many of which, successor to the earlier 1:5,000,000 map. 2T h e s k i II o f t h e L u n a r 0 r b i t e r Pro j e c t 0 f f i c e , Langley Research Center, NASA, and of The Boeing Company in planning and executing this highly productive spaceflight is gratefully acknowledged. 2 This pamphlet supplements several other explanations work of Shoemaker (1962, p. 323-347) on the ray crater of the methods and rationale of lunar mapping. Copernicus and that of McCauley ( 1967b, p. 439-446) on Shoemaker and Hackman (1962) summarized the stratig­ the Orientale basin are examples of the utility of studies raphy used at the outset of the lunar mapping program. of young features for the insights they provide about less McCauley (1967b) summarized major pre-Orbiter results well expressed landforms. with emphasis on the rock-stratigraphic approach. This map, like all geologic maps of the Moon, of the Wilhelms (1970b) described in detail the rationale and Earth, and those that might be made of the other terrestri­ theory of telescopic geologic mapping of the Moon and al planets (Carr, ed., 1970), is a combination of observa­ the evolution of lunar stratigraphic nomenclature. Trask tions and· interpretations whose accuracy and degree of (1970a) described the techniques for preparation of spe­ certainty depend on available data and current cumulative cial large-scale
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