science

Lacus Mortis

Lacus Mortis is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lacus Mortis rather than just read about it. In short: Lacus Mortis (Latin mortis, "Lake of Death") is a hexagonal-shaped plain of basaltic lava flows in the northeastern part of the Moon's near face. It was formed as a floor-fractured crater during the pre-Imbrian epoch, then flooded during the late Imbrian period.

Key takeaways

Lacus Mortis belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lacus Mortis to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lacus Mortis from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lacus Mortis (Latin mortis, "Lake of Death") is a hexagonal-shaped plain of basaltic lava flows in the northeastern part of the Moon's near face. It was formed as a floor-fractured crater during the pre-Imbrian epoch, then flooded during the late Imbrian period. This feature lies just to the south of the elongated Mare Frigoris, being separated by a slender arm of rugged ground and linked at the eastern extreme. To the south is the Lacus Somniorum, separated from this mare by the joined craters Plana and Mason, and a strip of uneven surface. The name of this feature originated with the lunar nomenclature of Giovanni Riccioli, published in 1651 with the Almagestum Novum. It was officially adopted by the IAU in 1935. The selenographic coordinates of the Lacus Mortis are 45.13° N, 27.32° E, and it has a diameter of 158.78 km (98.66 mi). The feature is positioned between lunar latitudes 42.5° to 47.75° north, and longitudes 23.61° to 31.03° east. The western edge of this mare forms a straight line, while the eastern edge is heavily eroded with open gaps. Located prominently just to the east of the midpoint of this feature is the 40 km diameter impact crater Bürg. This was formed during the Copernican period around 800 million years ago. A pair of low ridges run north and south from Bürg crater to the mare rim. The mare basalts, including those in the neighboring region of Mare Frigoris, are found to be richer in magnesium oxide (MgO) and aluminium oxide (Al2O3) compared to typical mare regions of the Moon, while iron oxide (FeO) is comparatively low in abundance. A section of mare to the east of Bürg crater includes low concentrations of titanium oxide; less than 1.5% by concentration. It was likely delivered here as ejecta from a crater impact. The western part of the Lacus Mortis contains an extensive system of criss-crossing rilles collectively designated Rimae Bürg, spanning a length of 140 km. The rilles are suspected to have formed from lava tubes. There is a collapsed pit crater to the west of Bürg, at 44.96°N, 25.62°E, which may be an opening into a lava tube or cave. This is the largest mare pit found as of 2012, measuring 100 × 150 m, with a floor about 90 m below the surrounding mare. The eastern wall of this pit appears to have collapsed, leaving a ramp with a ~22° slope extending from the mare to the floor. Two small volcanoes are positioned along the southwest border of the mare with the highlands, to the south of a linear rille. They have a diameter of about 1.5 km and are similar in appearance to cinder or scoria cones on the Earth.

Gallery

See also Dead Lake (disambiguation), Earth. Volcanism on the Moon

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lacus Mortis

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lacus Mortis claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lacus Mortis before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lacus Mortis ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lacus Mortis

In research: Lacus Mortis appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lacus Mortis in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lacus Mortis is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics LQ05 quadrangle, Maria on the Moon, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lacus Mortis outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lacus Mortis in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lacus Mortis means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lacus Mortis out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lacus Mortis in simple terms?

Why does Lacus Mortis matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lacus Mortis?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lacus Mortis.