Mare Moscoviense
Mare Moscoviense ("sea of
Muscovy") is a
lunar mare that sits in the Moscoviense basin. Like
Mare Marginis, this mare appears to be fairly thin. However, it is clearly centered within a large impact basin. It is also much lower than either the outer basin floor or the farside highlands. The great depth of this mare beneath the nearby highlands probably explains why mare units are so rare on the lunar farside. Very few basins on the farside were deep enough to allow mare volcanism. Thus, while large impact basins are found on both the nearside and farside, large mare are mostly found on the nearside. Mare lavas apparently could reach the surface more often and more easily there. The basin material is of the
Nectarian epoch, while the mare material is of the
Upper Imbrian epoch. The crater Komarov is to the southeast of the mare, and the crater Titov is in the northern region of the mare.