Maria articles
What is the key constituent defining the material of the lunar maria?
What minerals high in iron and magnesium cause the maria's darker color?
What rock type dominates the lighter-hued lunar highlands?
Lunar basalts are notably characterized as being what, unlike many terrestrial basalts?
Which mineral is the lunar highlands rock anorthosite rich in?
What property allowed basaltic lava to spread across vast distances to form the maria?
Which iron-titanium oxide mineral contributes to the dark character of mare basalts?
What did early astronomers mistakenly believe the lunar maria were?
The maria formed when basaltic lava flowed into and filled what features?
What chemical content dictates the contrast between mafic mare basalts and felsic highland material?
What rock type forms the dark Lunar maria compared to the Highlands?
Why did early astronomers name the dark Lunar features maria?
What geographical feature was required before mare volcanism could fill the low elevations?
What characterized the basaltic lava that formed the maria via flood basalt volcanism?
What elemental signature causes the maria to have a low albedo appearance?
When did the major period of mare volcanism generally cease?
What rock type predominantly composes the lighter-colored lunar highlands (terrae)?
What surface features attest to the cooling and contraction of thick lava deposits in the maria?
Approximately what percentage of the lunar surface do the dark maria cover?
What process describes the immense, thin flows from crustal cracks that formed the lunar maria?
What did early astronomers, like Galileo, initially believe the dark lunar maria represented?
What specific minerals cause the lunar maria to appear dark due to their ability to absorb sunlight?
What is the primary rock type that composes the bright, heavily cratered lunar highlands (*terrae*)?
Geologically, what is the name for the dark, fine-grained igneous rock that forms the maria?
What geological structures had to form first to allow the lava flows that created the maria?
What key difference in crustal structure allowed magma to more readily form the maria surfaces?
Compared to the highlands, how does the crater density of the maria surfaces generally compare?
What common minerals, besides iron and titanium, are found within the matrix of lunar basalt?
The maria surfaces are typically lower in elevation than the highlands because:
When did the major volcanic eruptions that flooded the impact basins and formed the maria primarily occur?