Wrinkle Ridges in Mare Crisium

 Mare Crisium illuminated at a low incident angle and showing the 'wrinkle ridges' in the basaltic lava. - 127mm Apo Refractor at f=900mm. QHY5L-11 Planetary Camera - stacked image from video. - Credit- Kurt Thrust


" Wrinkle ridges are believed to be caused by a mixture of faulting and folding of the mare lava whilst cooling. They are complex geological structural features found in 'lunar seas'. The feature is created by a 'thrust fault' which cuts through the mare but does not break through the surface. The geological fault thrusts material upwards creating a fold in the mare basalt over the fault. The folding gives rise to a considerable variety of wrinkle ridge forms. Despite the variety visible on this Jodrell Plank Observatory image of Mare Crisium every wrinkle ridge is made from a smaller ridge superimposed upon a larger ridge. On a clear night at full Moon, Mare Crisium may be seen with the naked eye but it requires a telescope and a low incident angle of illumination to show the 'wrinkle ridges'. The above image was captured 3 days after new Moon when Mare Crisium was illuminated at a very low incident angle by the Sun ". - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

 

A complex wrinkle ridge in Mare Crisium at low Sun (illumination is from the right). Boulders occupy the tops of mounds on the west ridge, and the central depression is more heavily cratered than the ridge. LROC NAC M146573730RE, image width is 700 m, north is up [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC)