What rock type forms the dark Lunar maria compared to the Highlands?
Answer
Basalt
The maria, which appear dark due to their composition, are fundamentally made of basalt. Basalt is an igneous rock, chemically similar to the rock that constitutes the floors of Earth's oceans. This composition contrasts sharply with the lunar highlands (terrae), which are lighter in color because they are predominantly composed of anorthosite, a rock rich in the mineral plagioclase feldspar. The presence of basalt in the maria indicates that these plains were formed by extensive lava flows that originated from the lunar mantle, covering earlier geological structures.
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