The violent side of mare volcanism

In the past 15 years it has become increasingly evident that lunar pyroclastic volcanism played an important role in the formation and resurfacing of portions of the Moon. Located on mare/highland boundaries, many of these deposits formed in association with mare volcanism. Based on recently acquired geologic and remote sensing data, two generally distinct types of pyroclastic mantling deposits have been identified: regional and localized. Both the regional dark mantling deposits (RDMD) and localized dark mantling deposits (LDMD) are widely distributed across the lunar nearside. The larger RDMD are typically located in lunar highland areas adjacent to many of the major lunar maria, while the smaller LDMD are found on the floors of pre-Imbrian and Inbrian craters. Both deposits are basaltic in composition and are presumed to have originated at great depth (approx. 300 km). The composition, geometry, and vent morphology of the pyroclastic deposits have been used to infer the eruption mechanisms and emplacement styles for both types of deposits.