List of lunar features


The surface of the Moon has many features, including mountains and valleys, craters, and maria—wide flat areas that look like seas from a distance but are probably solidified molten rock. Some of these features are listed.

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 kmLatin name meaning "Alpine valley"-
Vallis Baade203 kmWalter BaadeBaade
Vallis Bohr80 kmNiels BohrBohr
Vallis Bouvard284 kmAlexis Bouvard-
Vallis Capella49 kmMartianus CapellaCapella
Vallis Inghirami148 kmGiovanni InghiramiInghirami
Vallis Palitzsch132 kmJohann PalitzschPalitzsch
Vallis Planck451 kmMax PlanckPlanck
Vallis Rheita445 kmAnton Maria Schyrleus of RheitaRheita
Vallis Schrödinger310 kmErwin SchrödingerSchrödinger
Vallis Schröteri168 kmJohann Hieronymus SchröterSchröter
Vallis Snellius592 kmWillebrord SnellSnellius

Water features

Lunar maria 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.

''Maria'' and ''Oceanus''

Latin NameEnglish NameLat.Long.Diameter
Mare AnguisSerpent Sea22.6° N67.7° E150 km
Mare AustraleSouthern Sea38.9° S93.0° E603 km
Mare CognitumSea that has become known10.0° S23.1° W376 km
Mare CrisiumSea of Crises17.0° N59.1° E555 km
Mare FecunditatisSea of Fecundity7.8° S51.3° E909 km
Mare FrigorisSea of Cold56.0° N1.4° E1596 km
Mare HumboldtianumSea of Alexander von Humboldt56.8° N81.5° E273 km
Mare HumorumSea of Moisture24.4° S38.6° W389 km
Mare ImbriumSea of Showers32.8° N15.6° W1123 km
Mare IngeniiSea of Cleverness33.7° S163.5° E318 km
Mare InsularumSea of Islands7.5° N30.9° W513 km
Mare MarginisSea of the Edge13.3° N86.1° E420 km
Mare MoscovienseSea of Muscovy27.3° N147.9° E277 km
Mare NectarisSea of Nectar15.2° S35.5° E333 km
Mare NubiumSea of Clouds21.3° S16.6° W715 km
Mare OrientaleEastern Sea19.4° S92.8° W327 km
Mare SerenitatisSea of Serenity28.0° N17.5° E707 km
Mare SmythiiSea of William Henry Smyth1.3° N87.5° E373 km
Mare SpumansFoaming Sea1.1° N65.1° E139 km
Mare TranquillitatisSea of Tranquility8.5° N31.4° E873 km
Mare UndarumSea of Waves6.8° N68.4° E243 km
Mare VaporumSea of Vapors13.3° N3.6° E245 km
Oceanus ProcellarumOcean of Storms18.4° N57.4° W2568 km

There is also a region on the Lunar farside that was briefly misidentified as a mare and named Mare Desiderii. It is no longer recognized. Other former maria include:
A related set of features are the Lunar lacus, which are smaller basaltic plains of similar origin:
Latin NameEnglish NameLat.Long.Diameter
Lacus AestatisLake of Summer15.0° S69.0° W90 km
Lacus AutumniLake of Autumn9.9° S83.9° W183 km
Lacus BonitatisLake of Goodness23.2° N43.7° E92 km
Lacus DolorisLake of Sorrow17.1° N9.0° E110 km
Lacus ExcellentiaeLake of Excellence35.4° S44.0° W184 km
Lacus FelicitatisLake of Happiness19.0° N5.0° E90 km
Lacus GaudiiLake of Joy16.2° N12.6° E113 km
Lacus HiemalisLake of Winter15.0° N14.0° E50 km
Lacus LenitatisLake of Softness14.0° N12.0° E80 km
Lacus LuxuriaeLake of Luxury19.0° N176.0° E50 km
Lacus MortisLake of Death45.0° N27.2° E151 km
Lacus OblivionisLake of Forgetfulness21.0° S168.0° W50 km
Lacus OdiiLake of Hatred19.0° N7.0° E70 km
Lacus PerseverantiaeLake of Perseverance8.0° N62.0° E70 km
Lacus SolitudinisLake of Solitude27.8° S104.3° E139 km
Lacus SomniorumLake of Dreams38.0° N29.2° E384 km
Lacus SpeiLake of Hope43.0° N65.0° E80 km
Lacus TemporisLake of Time45.9° N58.4° E117 km
Lacus TimorisLake of Fear38.8° S27.3° W117 km
Lacus VerisLake of Spring16.5° S86.1° W396 km

''Sinus'' and ''Paludes''

A related set of features are the sinus and paludes :
Latin NameEnglish NameLat.Long.Diameter
Palus EpidemiarumMarsh of Epidemics32.0° S28.2° W286 km
Palus PutredinisMarsh of Decay26.5° N0.4° E161 km
Palus SomniMarsh of Sleep14.1° N45.0° E143 km
Sinus AestuumSeething Bay10.9° N8.8° W290 km
Sinus AmorisBay of Love18.1° N39.1° E130 km
Sinus AsperitatisBay of Roughness3.8° S27.4° E206 km
Sinus ConcordiaeBay of Harmony10.8° N43.2° E142 km
Sinus FideiBay of Trust18.0° N2.0° E70 km
Sinus HonorisBay of Honor11.7° N18.1° E109 km
Sinus IridumBay of Rainbows44.1° N31.5° W236 km
Sinus LunicusLunik Bay31.8° N1.4° W126 km
Sinus MediiBay of the center2.4° N1.7° E335 km
Sinus RorisBay of Dew54.0° N56.6° W202 km
Sinus SuccessusBay of Success0.9° N59.0° E132 km

Some sources also list a Palus Nebularum at 38.0° N, 1.0° E, but the designation for this feature has not been officially recognized by the IAU.

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.
NameLat./Long.Dia.Ht.Name Origin
Mons Agnes0.65 km0.03 kmGreek feminine name
Mons Ampère30 km3.0 kmAndré-Marie Ampère, physicist
Mons André10 km French masculine name
Mons Ardeshir8 km Ardeshir, Persian male name
Mons Argaeus50 km Mount Erciyes, Asia Minor
Mont Blanc25 km3.6 kmMont Blanc, the Alps
Mons Bradley30 km4.2 kmJames Bradley, astronomer
Mons Delisle30 km Named after nearby crater Delisle
Mons Dieter20 km German masculine name
Mons Dilip2 km Indian masculine name
Mons Esam8 km Arabic masculine name
Mons Ganau14 km African masculine name
Mons Gruithuisen Delta20 km Named after nearby crater Gruithuisen
Mons Gruithuisen Gamma20 km Named after nearby crater Gruithuisen
Mons Hadley25 km4.6 kmJohn Hadley, inventor
Mons Hadley Delta15 km3.5 kmNamed after nearby Mount Hadley
Mons Hansteen30 km Named after nearby crater Hansteen
Mons Herodotus5 km Named after nearby crater Herodotus
Mons Huygens40 km4.7 kmChristiaan Huygens, astronomer
Mons La Hire25 km1.5 kmPhilippe de la Hire, astronomer
Mons Maraldi15 km1.3 kmNamed after nearby crater Maraldi
Mons Moro10 km Antonio Lazzaro Moro, Earth scientist
Mons Penck30 km4.0 kmAlbrecht Penck, geographer
Mons Pico25 km2. kmSpanish for "peak"
Mons Piton25 km2.3 kmEl Pitón, a summit of Mount Teide, Tenerife
Mons Rümker70 km0.5 kmKarl Ludwig Christian Rümker, astronomer
Mons Usov15 km Mikhail Usov, geologist
Mons Vinogradov25 km1.4 kmAleksandr Pavlovich Vinogradov, chemist
Mons Vitruvius15 km2.3 kmNamed after nearby crater Vitruvius
Mons Wolff35 km3.5 kmBaron Christian von Wolff, philosopher

Mountain ranges

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 Origin
Reiner 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.

Catena

A catena is a chain of craters.
NameCoordinatesDiameterName Origin
Catena Abulfeda219 kmAfter nearby crater Abulfeda
Catena Artamonov134 kmAfter nearby crater Artamonov
Catena Brigitte5 kmFrench feminine name
Catena Davy50 kmAfter nearby crater Davy
Catena Dziewulski80 kmAfter nearby crater Dziewulski
Catena Gregory152 kmAfter nearby crater Gregory
Catena Humboldt165 kmAfter nearby crater Humboldt
Catena Krafft60 kmAfter nearby crater Krafft
Catena Kurchatov226 kmAfter nearby crater Kurchatov
Catena Leuschner364 kmAfter nearby crater Leuschner
Catena Littrow10 kmAfter nearby crater Littrow
Catena Lucretius271 kmAfter nearby crater Lucretius
Catena Mendeleev188 kmAfter nearby crater Mendeleev
Catena Michelson456 kmAfter nearby crater Michelson
Catena Pierre9 kmFrench masculine name
Catena Sumner247 kmAfter nearby crater Sumner
Catena Sylvester173 kmAfter nearby crater Sylvester
Catena Taruntius100 kmAfter nearby crater Taruntius
Catena Timocharis50 kmAfter nearby crater Timocharis
Catena Yuri5 kmRussian masculine name

Dorsa

These features are wrinkle-ridge systems commonly found on lunar maria.
NameCoordinatesDia.Name Origin
Dorsa Aldrovandi136 kmUlissi Aldrovandi
Dorsa Andrusov160 kmNicolai Ivanovich Andrusov
Dorsa Argand109 kmEmile Argand
Dorsa Barlow120 kmWilliam Barlow
Dorsa Burnet194 kmThomas Burnet
Dorsa Cato140 kmCato the Elder
Dorsa Dana70 kmJames Dwight Dana
Dorsa Ewing141 kmWilliam Maurice Ewing
Dorsa Geikie228 kmSir Archibald Geikie
Dorsa Harker197 kmAlfred Harker
Dorsa Lister203 kmMartin Lister
Dorsa Mawson132 kmDouglas Mawson
Dorsa Rubey100 kmWilliam Walden Rubey
Dorsa Smirnov156 kmSergei Sergeevich Smirnov
Dorsa Sorby80 kmHenry Clifton Sorby
Dorsa Stille80 kmHans Stille
Dorsa Tetyaev176 kmMikhail Mikhailovich Tetyaev
Dorsa Whiston85 kmWilliam Whiston

Dorsum

These features are wrinkle ridges commonly found on lunar mare.
NameCoordinatesDia.Name Origin
Dorsum Arduino107 kmGiovanni Arduino
Dorsum Azara105 kmFélix Manuel de Azara
Dorsum Bucher90 kmWalter Hermann Bucher
Dorsum Buckland380 kmWilliam Buckland
Dorsum Cayeux84 kmLucien Cayeux
Dorsum Cloos100 kmHans Cloos
Dorsum Cushman80 kmJoseph Augustine Cushman
Dorsum Gast60 kmPaul Werner Gast
Dorsum Grabau121 kmAmadeus William Grabau
Dorsum Guettard40 kmJean-Etienne Guettard
Dorsum Heim148 kmAlbert Heim
Dorsum Higazy60 kmRiad Higazy
Dorsum Nicol50 kmWilliam Nicol
Dorsum Niggli50 kmPaul Niggli
Dorsum Oppel268 kmAlbert Oppel
Dorsum Owen50 kmGeorge Owen
Dorsum Scilla108 kmAgostino Scilla
Dorsum Termier90 kmPierre-Marie Termier
Dorsum Thera7 kmGreek feminine name
Dorsum Von Cotta199 kmCarl Bernard von Cotta
Dorsum Zirkel193 kmFerdinand Zirkel

Promontorium

These features form a cape or headland on a mare.
NameCoordinatesDia.Name Origin
Promontorium Agarum70 kmNamed from a cape in the Sea of Azov
Promontorium Agassiz20 kmJean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz
Promontorium Archerusia10 kmNamed from a cape on the Black Sea
Promontorium Deville20 kmCharles Joseph Sainte-Claire Deville
Promontorium Fresnel20 kmAugustin Jean Fresnel
Promontorium Heraclides50 kmHeraclides Ponticus
Promontorium Kelvin50 kmWilliam Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin
Promontorium Laplace50 kmPierre Simon Laplace
Promontorium Taenarium70 kmNamed from cape in Greece

Rima

These features are lunar rilles.
NameCoordinatesDia.Name Origin
Rima Agatharchides50 kmNamed from nearby crater Agatharchides
Rima Agricola110 kmNamed from nearby Montes Agricola
Rima Archytas90 kmNamed from nearby crater Archytas
Rima Ariadaeus250 kmNamed from nearby crater Ariadaeus
Rima Billy70 kmNamed from nearby crater Billy
Rima Birt50 kmNamed from nearby crater Birt
Rima Bradley161 kmNamed from nearby Mons Bradley
Rima Brayley311 kmNamed from nearby crater Brayley
Rima Calippus40 kmNamed from nearby crater Calippus
Rima Cardanus175 kmNamed from nearby crater Cardanus
Rima Carmen10 kmSpanish feminine name
Rima Cauchy140 kmNamed from nearby crater Cauchy
Rima Cleomedes80 kmWithin crater Cleomedes
Rima Cleopatra14 kmGreek feminine name
Rima Conon30 kmNamed from nearby crater Conon
Rima Dawes15 kmNamed from nearby crater Dawes
Rima Delisle60 kmNamed from nearby crater Delisle
Rima Diophantus150 kmNamed from nearby crater Diophantus
Rima Draper160 kmNamed from nearby crater Draper
Rima Euler90 kmNamed from nearby crater Euler
Rima Flammarion80 kmNamed from nearby crater Flammarion
Rima Furnerius50 kmWithin crater Furnerius
Rima G. Bond168 kmNamed from nearby crater G. Bond
Rima Galilaei89 kmNamed from nearby crater Galilaei
Rima Gärtner30 kmWithin crater Gärtner
Rima Gay-Lussac40 kmNamed from nearby crater Gay-Lussac
Rima Hadley80 kmNamed from nearby Mons Hadley
Rima Hansteen25 kmNamed from nearby crater Hansteen
Rima Hesiodus256 kmNamed from nearby crater Hesiodus
Rima Hyginus219 kmNamed from nearby crater Hyginus
Rima Jansen35 kmNamed from nearby crater Jansen
Rima Krieger22 kmNamed from nearby crater Krieger
Rima Mairan90 kmNamed from nearby crater Mairan
Rima Marcello2 kmItalian masculine name
Rima Marius121 kmNamed from nearby crater Marius
Rima Messier100 kmNamed from nearby crater Messier
Rima Milichius100 kmNamed from nearby crater Milichius
Rima Oppolzer94 kmNamed from nearby crater Oppolzer
Rima Réaumur30 kmNamed from nearby crater Réaumur
Rima Reiko2 kmJapanese feminine name
Rima Rudolf8 kmGerman masculine name
Rima Schröter40 kmNamed from nearby crater Schröter
Rima Sharp107 kmNamed from nearby crater Sharp
Rima Sheepshanks200 kmNamed from nearby crater Sheepshanks
Rima Siegfried14 kmGerman masculine name
Rima Suess165 kmNamed from nearby crater Suess
Rima Sung-Mei4 kmChinese feminine name
Rima T. Mayer50 kmNamed from nearby crater T. Mayer
Rima Vladimir14 kmSlavic masculine name
Rima Wan-Yu12 kmChinese feminine name
Rima Yangel'30 kmNamed from nearby crater Yangel'
Rima Zahia16 kmArabic feminine name

Rimae

These features are lunar rille systems.
NameCoordinatesDia.Name Origin
Rimae Alphonsus80 kmWithin crater Alphonsus
Rimae Apollonius230 kmNamed from nearby crater Apollonius
Rimae Archimedes169 kmNamed from nearby crater Archimedes
Rimae Aristarchus121 kmNamed from nearby crater Aristarchus
Rimae Arzachel50 kmWithin crater Arzachel
Rimae Atlas60 kmWithin crater Atlas
Rimae Bode70 kmNamed from nearby crater Bode
Rimae Boscovich40 kmWithin crater Boscovich
Rimae Chacornac120 kmNamed from nearby crater Chacornac
Rimae Daniell200 kmNamed from nearby crater Daniell
Rimae Darwin143 kmNamed from nearby crater Darwin
Rimae Doppelmayer162 kmNamed from nearby crater Doppelmayer
Rimae Focas100 kmNamed from nearby crater Focas
Rimae Fresnel90 kmNamed from nearby Promontorium Fresnel
Rimae de Gasparis93 kmNamed from nearby crater de Gasparis
Rimae Gassendi70 kmWithin crater Gassendi
Rimae Gerard100 kmNamed from nearby crater Gerard
Rimae Goclenius240 kmNamed from nearby crater Goclenius
Rimae Grimaldi230 kmNamed from nearby crater Grimaldi
Rimae Hypatia206 kmNamed from nearby crater Hypatia
Rimae Janssen114 kmNamed from nearby crater Janssen
Rimae Kopff41 kmNamed from nearby crater Kopff
Rimae Liebig140 kmNamed from nearby crater Liebig
Rimae Littrow115 kmNamed from nearby crater Littrow
Rimae Maclear110 kmNamed from nearby crater Maclear
Rimae Maestlin80 kmNamed from nearby crater Maestlin
Rimae Maupertuis84 kmNamed from nearby crater Maupertuis
Rimae Menelaus131 kmNamed from nearby crater Menelaus
Rimae Mersenius84 kmNamed from nearby crater Mersenius
Rimae Opelt70 kmNamed from nearby crater Opelt
Rimae Palmieri150 kmNamed from nearby crater Palmieri
Rimae Parry82 kmNamed from nearby crater Parry
Rimae Petavius80 kmNamed from nearby crater Petavius
Rimae Pettit450 kmNamed from nearby crater Pettit
Rimae Pitatus94 kmNamed from nearby crater Pitatus
Rimae Plato87 kmNamed from nearby crater Plato
Rimae Plinius124 kmNamed from nearby crater Plinius
Rimae Posidonius70 kmNamed from nearby crater Posidonius
Rimae Prinz80 kmNamed from nearby crater Prinz
Rimae Ramsden108 kmNamed from nearby crater Ramsden
Rimae Repsold166 kmNamed from nearby crater Repsold
Rimae Riccioli400 kmNamed from nearby crater Riccioli
Rimae Ritter100 kmNamed from nearby crater Ritter
Rimae Römer110 kmNamed from nearby crater Römer
Rimae Secchi35 kmNamed from nearby crater Secchi
Rimae Sirsalis426 kmNamed from nearby crater Sirsalis
Rimae Sosigenes190 kmNamed from nearby crater Sosigenes
Rimae Sulpicius Gallus90 kmNamed from nearby crater Sulpicius Gallus
Rimae Taruntius25 kmNamed from nearby crater Taruntius
Rimae Theaetetus50 kmNamed from nearby crater Theaetetus
Rimae Triesnecker215 kmNamed from nearby crater Triesnecker
Rimae Vasco da Gama60 kmNamed from nearby crater Vasco da Gama
Rimae Zupus120 kmNamed from nearby crater Zupus

Rupēs

These are escarpments in the surface.
NameCoordinatesDia.Name Origin
Rupes Altai427.0 kmAltai Mountains
Rupes Boris4.0 kmNamed from nearby crater Boris
Rupes Cauchy120.0 kmNamed from nearby crater Cauchy
Rupes Kelvin78.0 kmNamed from nearby Promontorium Kelvin
Rupes Liebig180.0 kmNamed from nearby crater Liebig
Rupes Mercator93.0 kmNamed from nearby crater Mercator
Rupes Recta134.0 kmLatin for "straight cliff"
Rupes Toscanelli70.0 kmNamed from nearby crater Toscanelli

Terra

The continental areas between the seas were given comparable names by Giovanni Battista Riccioli, but were opposite the names used for the seas. Thus there were the lands of sterility, heat, and liveliness. However these names for the highland regions are no longer used on recent maps, and Terrae are not officially recognized as standard lunar nomenclature by the International Astronomical Union.
NameName OriginNear side position
Insula VentorumIsland of Winds
Peninsula FulminuPeninsula of ThunderBetween Mare Humorum and Oceanus Procellarum.
Terra CalorisLand of HeatSouthwest rim of the near side.
Terra FertilitatisLand of FertilitySoutheastern rim of the near side.
Terrae GrandinisLand of HailNortheast border of Mare Imbrium.
Terrae MannaLand of MannaRegion between Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Nectaris.
Terra Niuiu Land of SnowsSoutheast border of Mare Imbrium.
Terra PruinæLand of FrostNorthwest border of Mare Imbrium.
Terra SanitatisLand of HealthinessCentral region between Mare Nubium and Mare Tranquillitatis.
Terra SiccitatisLand of DrynessNorthwest rim of the near side.
Terra SterilitatisLand of Sterility
Terra VigorisLand of CheerfulnessRegion southeast of Mare Crisium.
Terra VitæLand of LivelinessNortheast rim of the near side.

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, these are detailed on the main crater description pages.