AS16-4136(P)

Figure 103

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This view looks southward near Mandel'shtam on the lunar far side. Most young lunar craters wider than about 40 km have flows on their rims that resemble lava flows or mud flows on Earth. The unnamed crater near the top is about 14 km wide and was recognized by H. J. Moore (1972) as being the smallest crater known to have such flows. Flows in the middle of the picture surged downhill off the high rim of the crater making lobes and tongues and leaving behind drained channels with levees.  In the area to the right of the crater, enlarged in figure 104, are some thin lobate flows that apparently rode over small hills, as if these flows were propelled outward from the crater with sufficient velocity to climb the hills.  Ejecta deposits farther than about 1 km from the rim are radially lineated and are smoother than the ground immediately surrounding the crater. The crisp, blocky zone around the crater is typical of many fresh craters. -K.A.H.
 
 

This enlarged view of part of figure 103 shows some of the smooth flows that originate near the crest of the crater rim at the left side of photograph. Arrows point to the lower ends of two flows. The origin of the flow material is controversial. It was probably molten material generated by shock-wave compression of lunar rocks and ejected at relatively low velocities during the late stages of the formation of the impact crater; or it may have resulted from the flow of rock debris mixed with a fluidizing agent such as gas or water; or it may have been volcanically generated lava. -H.J.M.