The large crater Petavius is one of the most impressive and interesting craters on our Moon. Need large appearance changes as the sun rises and goes changing its course in each lunation (orbit around the Earth). The crater is 182 km in diameter and about 2.1 kilometers deep. The central peaks have more than one kilometer high.

The walls of Petavius are abnormally large in relation to the diameter of the crater having a double border the eastern and western sides. The east wall rises about 11,000 feet. The crater appears oval instead of round, Earth view, but this is an illusion due to its proximity to the east (east) lunar.

The exact age of the impact that formed Petavius is uncertain, but the crater is considered to have been formed during geological age Imbrium of the Moon, or around 3.2-3.8 billion years ago.

One of the most prominent features on Petavius is Rimae Petavius, a break of about 50 km long, straight running of the central peaks southwest crater wall.

Petavius is located at 25.28 ° S, 60.63 ° E, is an unusual class of craters that have been modified by post-impact processes.

What is the process that could have produced the system of fractures that cut the floor of this crater? Volcanism is the likely cause. There are small basalt spots in the North and South in the crater floor, which help to cement this hypothesis. But unlike other craters were completely filled by basalt stroke, Petavius has only small patches.

So why Petavius ended as an extensive system of fractures?

One hypothesis is that the fractures occurred as a result of volcanic change that raised the crater floor, this would occur if the magma intruded beneath the floor and pushed the floor up.

But because Petavius was not completely swamped and why fractures were never covered by basalt.

It is possible that Petavius not witnessed the same breakout style as elsewhere on the moon. Or maybe the magma beneath Petavius crater was not liquid enough to completely flood the surface. Finally, it may simply be that the source region of the magma was relatively small and thus only a modest amount of basalt erupted.

Anyway it is for colleagues examine the picture posted and seek to understand the process described above, if you observe a small area in high resolution here I leave a link to access the images from the LROC.

Source: The Astronomical Society of Palm Beachs

Lunar Pioneer / LROC

Adaptation: Avani Soares