sinuous rille

lunar feature

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July 13, 2026

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A sinuous rille is a winding, trench-like valley on the Moon, resembling a riverbed on Earth. These features are believed to be ancient channels formed by lava flows. Unlike Earth's lava flows, lunar sinuous rilles are often more meandering, possibly due to the lower viscosity of ancient lunar lavas.12

The Apollo 15 mission explored Hadley Rille, a prominent example of a sinuous rille. Astronauts observed its V-shaped valley and exposed rock layers, suggesting it was formed by successive lava flows. However, the exact origin of sinuous rilles remains a subject of scientific inquiry.12

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Moon
Effects of impacts and volcanism
…long, winding channel, called a sinuous rille, emerged to flow across the mare. Other sinuous rilles are found nearby, including the largest one on the Moon, discovered by the German astronomer Johann Schröter in 1787. Named in his honor, Schröter’s Valley is a deep, winding channel, hundreds of kilometers long,…
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…long, winding channel, called a sinuous rille, emerged to flow across the mare. Other sinuous rilles are found nearby, including the largest one on the Moon, discovered by the German astronomer Johann Schröter in 1787. Named in his honor, Schröter’s Valley is a deep, winding channel, hundreds of kilometers long,…
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rille
…main types, straight rilles and sinuous rilles, which seem to have different origins. Those of the first variety are flat-floored and relatively straight; they are occasionally associated with crater chains and sometimes arranged in an echelon pattern. Some of these structures are thought to be grabens, elongated blocks of crust…
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…main types, straight rilles and sinuous rilles, which seem to have different origins. Those of the first variety are flat-floored and relatively straight; they are occasionally associated with crater chains and sometimes arranged in an echelon pattern. Some of these structures are thought to be grabens, elongated blocks of crust…
Read More