|
Montes Jura is a mountain range in the northwest part of the Moon. They were named after the Jura Mountains in western Switzerland.
This range of mountains form a visually-pleasing semi-circular ring around the Sinus Iridum, a bay along the northwest edge of Mare Imbrium. The protruding part of the range at the southwest end is named Promontorium Heraclides, while that at the northeast end is called Promontorium Laplace.
In the distant past this range once formed the outer wall of a crater about 260 kilometers in diameter. The southeast face of this crater was then removed and the interior flooded with basaltic-lava. As a result the side of the range facing the mare ends in the nearly level plains, which the opposite side merges with a region of rough and irregular terrain.
The only crater of note in this range is Bianchini, which lies across the north-northwestern portion of the curve. A little further to the west is Sharp crater, and to the northeast is the ruined Maupertuis crater.
|
