AS16-0692(M)

Figure 166

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Theophilus is a relatively young crater similar in size but slightly older than Copernicus (fig.164). It lies on the eastern edge of the Kant plateau, an elevated area in the Central Highlands along the northwestern margin of Mare Nectaris. Part of Nectaris is visible as the smooth. dark area near the horizon at the left edge. Like Copernicus and Aristarchus, Theophilus has ruggedly terraced walls and a complex central peak protruding through a level floor. Smooth-surfaced material is present in "pools" at various levels on the terraces, on parts of the crater floor, and on the ejecta that blanket the near (north) side of the crater. As one alternative, the pools may have been emplaced as fluid lava. The pooled material and the prominent central peak complex of Theophilus are shown in more detail in Figures  167  and  168 - M.C.M.