Boulder Tracks

Lunar Boulder Tracks

What are they?

Boulder tracks occur when a boulder rolls on the surface of the Moon. The typical size of the boulder and track is about 7 meters (diameter) and 5 meters respectively. Boulders up to 23 meters and down to 1.3 meters have been identified. Boulder rolls, and their subsequent related boulder tracks, are hypothesized to be the result of lunar seismic activity or thermal cycling.
 Note:
  Boulder Tracks should not be confused with Crater Chains!
 
 

Why are these boulder tracks useful?

Because it is possible to deduce surface properties (bearing strength, density) without having to land a spacecraft there. This would enable operational planning of landers and rovers.
 
 

Limitations of existing data

Although most of the present images showing boulder tracks exist in Lunar Orbiter photographs, less than 1% of the lunar surface was imaged at the high resolution necessary to resolve these tracks. Typically, 1-5m resolution is needed to obtain useful data. High resolution coverage by the upcoming Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will enable more tracks to be identified.
  2017... after exploring lots of High-Resolution NAC photographs from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (online in the ACT-REACT QUICK MAP of the LROC site), we could say that the number of boulder tracks on the lunar surface is ENORMOUS!!!
 
 

Locations/data

[Consolidated list of these tracks, with position on image and estimate of latitude/longitude, size estimates, other derived data.]

The list shown below is for the older Lunar Orbiter imagery. However, recent images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have also shown boulder tracks. Image nacl00000e09.tif (LRO image with boulder tracks) shows a large number of such tracks at a resolution of 1.62 m/pixel. A download of the file will enable contrast enhancement to see >50 tracks near column 1370/row 17491 (image is 5064 by 52224).

It is desired to eventually replace the "Image Center" latitude and longitude with the track latitude and longitude. The supplementary data for the lunar orbiter images provide the frame vertex coordinates, so with the track pixel position, this should be derivable.

No Lunar Orbiter sourcebook has been found correlating the framelet number with high resolution frame code number (i.e. H1, H2 or H3). This data can only be obtained upon obtaining and viewing the high resolution frames.

The "Track Distance From Edge of Image" was originally referenced to 40 cm wide prints. The start point of the measurement is the edge of the Lunar Orbiter film with the framelet numbers. It was never defined exactly where the start point is (i.e. the very edge of the film or the edge of the visible image). Nevertheless, this data is very helpful in locating these "tiny" tracks in the large images.

Two sources of images have been useful for reviewing these tracks. These include the Lunar and Planetary Institute and the USGS Astrogeology Research Program. When reviewing images for features such as tracks, realize that it is preferable to use film and that scans may not have the quality to see some tracks, especially ones with short length.

The ID numbers are unique codes assigned to each track listed in the table. For tracks discovered on lunar orbiter images the code is LOnfffHix where LO (for Lunar Orbiter) and H (for High Resolution Camera) are fixed, n is the Lunar Orbiter mission number [1..5], fff is the three-digit frame number, i is the high-resolution subframe number [1..3], and x is a sequential capital letter [A..Z] assigned to the tracks discovered in a particular subframe, in the order of discovery.

				Distance From	Image Center		Number
ID	Spacecraft	Frame #	Framelet #	Edge (cm)	Latitude	Longitude	of Tracks	References
LO2020H3A	LO-II	20H3	991	21.1	4.1°	38°	1	4
LO2027H3A	LO-II	27H3	921	21.2	3.8°	36.6°	1	1,4,5
LO2050H3A	LO-II	50H3	932	10.6	4.6°	21.8°	1	4
LO2055H3A	LO-II	55H3	597	8.1	4.3°	21.1°	1	4
LO2065H1A	LO-II	65H1	986	9.5	4.5°	15.8°	1	4
LO2071H3A	LO-II	71H2-H3	710 (712?, 713?)	20.8 (27.8?)	2.8°	2.5°	1	2,4
LO2076H2A	LO-II	76H2-H3	364	13	1.3°	23.7°	1	1,5
LO2106H3A	LO-II	106H3	292	9.5	2.2°	2.1°	1	4,5
LO2122H1A	LO-II	122H1	464	?	0.32°	-1.32°	1	1
LO2123H1A	LO-II	123H1	595 (594?)	2.6	-1.3°	0°	1	1,2,4
LO2149H3A	LO-II	149H3	924	5.6	3.8°	-27.2°	1	4
LO2150H2A	LO-II	150H2	81	13.1	3.8°	-27.1°	1	4
LO2159H3A	LO-II	159	315	38.9	2.9°	-26.9°	1	4
LO2160H2A	LO-II	160H2-H3	386	26.4	3.2°	-26.8°	1	4
LO2163H2A	LO-II	163H2	783	25.1	0.3°	-20.2°	1	4
LO2164H2A	LO-II	164H2	915	9.5	0.3°	-20.1°	1	4
LO2166H3A	LO-II	166H3	150	13.8	-0.4°	-19.7°	1	2,4
LO2179H3A	LO-II	179H3	847	19.5	2.6°	-34.5°	1	4
LO2179H2A	LO-II	179H2	884	38.9	2.4°	-34.5°	1	4
LO2189H3A	LO-II	189H3	166	6.3	2.1°	-34.5°	1	4
LO2190H2A	LO-II	190H2	323	2.8	2°	-34.1°	1	4
LO2195H2A	LO-II	195H2-H3	975	19.2	2.9°	-42.7°	1	4
LO2198H2A	LO-II	198H2	397	39.1	1.9°	-42°	1	4
LO2211H3A	LO-II	211H3	49	26.5	1.6°	-41.3°	1	4,5
LO3026H1A	LO-III	26H1	293-295	2(2.9)	-.4	42.1	1	4,5
LO3035H3A	LO-III	35H3	395-396	26	-1.1	42.8	1	1,4,5
LO3044H2A	LO-III	44H2	594	30.8	.69	27.1	1	5
LO3044H2B	LO-III	44H2	596	31.4	.69	27.1	1	5
LO3044H2C	LO-III	44H2	597	30.2	.69	27.1	1	5
LO3046H1A	LO-III	46H1	890	34.5	.69	27.1	1	5
LO3046H1B	LO-III	46H1	892	36.5	.69	27.1	1	5
LO3052H1A	LO-III	52H1	676-679	20.5	.4	24.1	1	4
LO3068H3A	LO-III	68H3	732-734	20.5	.9	-.9	1	4
LO3096H3A	LO-III	96H3	379	20.3	.83	-1.4	1	5
LO3100H3A	LO-III	100H3	910	10.4	.9	-1	1	4,5
LO3103H?A	LO-III	103H?	342	22.5	.93	-6.2	1	5
LO3107H2A	LO-III	107H2	868	2.1(2.6)	-.3	-5.7	1	1,4,5
LO3107H2B	LO-III	107H2	870-871	1	-.3	-5.7	12	4,5
LO3111H2A	LO-III	111H2	364	28.6	-4.9	4.8	4	1,5
LO3111H2B	LO-III	111H2	373	39.2(38.9)	-4.9	4.8	1	1,4,5
LO3111H3A	LO-III	111H3	382	39.2	-4.9	4.8	1	5
LO3118H2A	LO-III	118H2	305-307	31.5	-3.4	-3.4	1	4,5
LO3125H3A	LO-III	125H3	204	6.8(7)	-.6	-20	1	1,5
LO3125H3B	LO-III	125H3	204	7.5	-.6	-20	1	1
LO3125H3C	LO-III	125H3	204	7.6	-.6	-20	1	1
LO3125H3D	LO-III	125H3	204,205	5.3(5.6)	-.6	-20	1	1,5
LO3125H3E	LO-III	125H3	206	6.4(6.5)	-.6	-20	1	1,5
LO3125H3F	LO-III	125H3	206	8.7	-.6	-20	4	4
LO3130H3A	LO-III	130H3	895-898	9.6	-.9	-20	2	4
LO3132H2A	LO-III	132H2	142	14.7	-3.2	-18	1	5
LO3143H3A	LO-III	143H3	562	10.5	-3.3	-23	1	5
LO3146H3A	LO-III	146H3	935	5.1	-2.4	-23	1	5
LO3146H3B	LO-III	146H3	935	2.7	-2.4	-23	2	4
LO3147H1A	LO-III	147H1	134	29.8	-2.8	-23	1	5
LO3149H1A	LO-III	149H1	409	28.3	-3	-23	1	5
LO3151H1A	LO-III	151H1	656	15.8	-3.2	-23	1	5
LO3151H1B	LO-III	151H1	678	33.7	-3.2	-23	1	4
LO3153H1A	LO-III	153H1	944	30.5	-3	-24	1	5
LO3155H1A	LO-III	155H1	209	6.6	-3.1	-23	1	5
LO3157H3A	LO-III	157H3	387	34.2	-3.2	-23	1	5
LO3158H2A	LO-III	158H2	541-543	39.2	-3.1	-23	1	4,5
LO3159H3A	LO-III	159H3	659	22.2	-3.3	-23	1	5
LO3159H2A	LO-III	159H2	674	3.1	-3.3	-23	1	5
LO3163H1A	LO-III	163H1	249	39	1.77	-42	1	5
LO3164H2A	LO-III	164H2	340-346	7.5	1.8	-42	1	4
LO3167H2A	LO-III	167H2	723	11.1	1.55	-42	1	5
LO3173H1A	LO-III	173H1	557	15.2	-3.3	-37	1	5
LO3178H1A	LO-III	178H1	221	7.8	-3.5	-37	1	5
LO3181H2A	LO-III	181H2	567	28.4	-2.1	-44	1	1
LO3186H2A	LO-III	186H2	231	8(8.2)	-2.1	-45	2	4,5
LO3186H3A	LO-III	186H3	193	28.4	-2.1	-45	1	4
LO3189H2A	LO-III	189H2	615	7.7	-2.4	-44	1	1
LO3189H2B	LO-III	189H2	617	9.1	-2.4	-44	1	1,5
LO3189H2C	LO-III	189H2	618	.5	-2.4	-44	1	5
LO3189H2D	LO-III	189H2	626	8.5	-2.4	-44	1	5
LO3189H2E	LO-III	189H2	628	7.4	-2.4	-44	1	5
LO3197H1A	LO-III	197H1	707	13.6	-2.9	-43	1	5
LO3200H1A	LO-III	200H1	101-103	6.4	-3.2	-43	1	4
LO3203H3A	LO-III	203H3	419	5.6	-3.3	-43	1	5
LO3203H2A	LO-III	203H2	469	16.5	-3.3	-43	1	5
LO3204H3A	LO-III	204H3	564	24.3	-3.1	-43	1	5
LO3204H1A	LO-III	204H1	601,602	11.5	-3.1	-43	1	4
LO5034H3A	LO-V	34H3	880	17.6	-25.7°	60.6°	1	1,5
LO5034H3B	LO-V	34H3	891	29.9	-25.7°	60.6°	4?	1,5
LO5034H2A	LO-V	34H2	916	5.3	-25.7	60.6	1	5
LO5034H2B	LO-V	34H2	922	7.0	-25.7	60.6	2	5
LO5035H1A	LO-V	35H1	76	33.3	-25.2	60.6	1+	5
LO5035H2A	LO-V	35H2	051	25.6	-25.2°	60.6°	6+?	5
LO5035H2B	LO-V	35H2	064	28.5	-25.2°	60.6°	1	5
LO5036H3A	LO-V	36H3	144	21.5	-24.8°	60.7°	1	3,5
LO5036H3B	LO-V	36H3	167	4.05	-24.8°	60.7°	1	5
LO5047H3A	LO-V	47H3	611	24.25	-.5	43.2	1	5
LO5047H3B	LO-V	47H3	613	31.3	-.5	43.2	1	5
LO5049H2A	LO-V	49H2	908	1	-.8	41.4	1	5
LO5049H3A	LO-V	49H3	867	1	-.8	41.4	1	5
LO5062H2A	LO-V	62H2	605	18.3	3.2	33.0	1	5
LO5063H2A	LO-V	63H2	738	14.7	-.2	31.0	4+	5
LO5086H1A	LO-V	86H1	787	7.1	37.7	13.4	1	5
LO5088H2A	LO-V	88H2	10	22.7	38.6	13.5	1	1,5
LO5095H1A	LO-V	95H1	956	16.0	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1B	LO-V	95H1	957	16.4	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1C	LO-V	95H1	958	16.0	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1D	LO-V	95H1	959	16.1	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1E	LO-V	95H1	960	14.6	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1F	LO-V	95H1	962	16.7	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1G	LO-V	95H1	965	23.9	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1H	LO-V	95H1	967	25.2	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1I	LO-V	95H1	968	25.3	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1J	LO-V	95H1	970	24.6	7.6	5.9	1	1,5
LO5095H1K	LO-V	95H1	978	25.2	7.6	5.9	1	1,5

[Data for Lunar Orbiter III and V and Apollo orbital and surface images to be added.]

Images

Boulder rolls off a massif within the northern sector of the Orientale Basin - some 40 km southwest of Maunder B (for more, zoom in at this LROC map position).- JohnMoore2

Boulder rolls - southeast of Werner D- DannyCaes Sep 12, 2016

[Existing scanned Lunar Orbiter images have adequate quality to resolve images for reference inclusion here. In the preceding table, when an image is readily available, the ID numbers are linked to pages displaying them.]

Apollo 17 - boulder tracks on the mountains surrounding the Taurus-Littrow Valley

• Boulder tracks were also photographed during the last manned lunar excursion of Apollo 17 in december 1972. See image/bibliography info in the page North Massif.
• One of the boulder tracks on Apollo 17's North Massif is also mentioned and depicted in NASA SP-362 APOLLO OVER THE MOON; A View From Orbit, Chapter 3: The Terrae - Part 1; Figures 40 and 41.
• More photographs of the boulder tracks on the slopes of both the North Massif and South Massif were included in NASA's APOLLO 17 PRELIMINARY SCIENCE REPORT.
• See also page 297 of the article Exploring Taurus-Littrow by Harrison H. Schmitt (National Geographic september 1973).

Vitello

• The most well-known orbital photograph of boulder tracks on the lunar surface (at the slopes of the central peak in Vitello) was included on page 236 of the article Awesome Views of the Forbidding Moonscape (a nine-page portfolio) in the National Geographic of february 1969.

Ludek Pesek

• An interesting painting of a lunar boulder and its downslope track, by space artist Ludek Pesek, was printed on pages 40 and 41 in Ron Miller's book Space Art (Starlog Magazine, 1978).
• https://fineartamerica.com/featured/artwork-of-moons-surface-with-earth-in-the-sky-ludek-pesek.html

Peculiar boulder track

The area to the northwest of Koval'skiy (farside crater) is the location of an unnamed high-albedo raycraterlet (probably the remains of an oblique impact), see photographic version of LAC 100 (page 200) in the Clementine Atlas (a broad white spot almost at centre of LAC 100). Immediately east-northeast of this bright raycraterlet is the location of a peculiar looking track south of a 20 or 25 meter sized boulder. This peculiar appearance (the track) was independently discovered by Danny Caes via the LRO's ACT-REACT Quick Map. The pinpoint coordinates of the boulder and its weird looking track are: Longitude 100.155 Latitude -21.045
  Now, why are there no tracks behind the other boulders in the neighborhood?
 
 

The hook-shaped tracks of the boulders on Werner D's ejectablanket

It's interesting to explore the LRO's NAC close-ups of the ejectablanket around Werner D. The location of the bright crater Werner D is on the northern inner slope of Werner itself. The tracks of almost each one of the ejected boulders (from Werner D) look remarkably "hook-shaped", because they rolled down the slope, southward.
 
 

LPOD Articles

A Long Trail, Follow the Bouncing Boulder (boulder tracks in Tsiolkowskij).

LROC Articles (the numbered posts)

http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/79 (Bright Boulder Trail) (Moore F)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/80 (Bouncing, Bounding Boulders!) (southwest Rowland)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/82 (Small Crater on the Wall of Metius B)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/178 (Hole in One!) (Henry Freres)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/221 (Central Peak / Mare Boundary) (Tsiolkovskiy)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/256 (Boulder Trails in Menelaus)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/258 (Gassendi's Central Peak)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/381 (Sampling Schrodinger)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/416 (A Gathering in Lacus Mortis)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/495 (A Recent Journey) (in Schiller T on the floor of Schiller)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/509 (Rolling Rolling Rolling) (Pikel'ner S)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/524 (Boulder Tales) (Schrodinger)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/532 (Sampling a Central Peak) (Moretus)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/544 (Rock Slide in Rima Hyginus)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/557 (Weaving Boulder Trails on the Moon) (Tsiolkovskiy)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/619 (Bounce, Roll, and Stop) (Shuckburgh E)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/630 (Star Light Star Bright) (in the bowl-shaped crater east of the concentric crater on the floor of Humboldt)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/633 (Lazy Boulders in Scaliger)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/703 (Northeastward!) (northeast Van Gent U)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/757 (Bowl of Boulders in Steno Q)
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/759 (Station 6 - Apollo 17)

Bibliography

Lists of boulder locations are given in:

• 1) Hovland, H. John; Mitchell, James K. 1973. Boulder Tracks and Nature of Lunar Soil. The Moon, Volume 6, Issue 1-2, pp. 164-175. - lists 69 tracks
• 2) Arant, W. H.; Eggleston, J. M.; Patteson, A. W.; Spooner, D. L.; Throop, J. E. 1968. Lunar "rolling stones." (Lunar Orbiter 2 spacecraft high resolution photographs used to study rolling boulders on moon, noting tracks on crater walls). Photogrammetric Engineering, Vol. 34, P. 246-255. - lists 4 tracks
• 3) Moore. H.J., Vischer, W.A., Martin, G.L. 1972. Boulder Tracks on the Moon and Earth, Geological Survey Research 1972 Chapter B, Geological Survey professional Paper 800-B, pg. B163-174. - lists 14 tracks
• 4) Moore, H.J. 1970. "Interagency Report: Astrogeology 22, Estimates of the Mechanical Properties of Lunar Surface Using Tracks and Secondary Impact Craters Produced by Blocks and Boulders", July 1970, - lists 48 tracks
• 5) Grolier, M.J., Moore, H.J., Martin, G.L. 1968. "A Preliminary Geologic Evaluation of Areas Photographed by Lunar Orbiter V Including an Apollo Landing Analysis of One of the Areas, Appendix A, Lunar Block Tracks", Langley/Lunar Orbiter Photo Data Screening Group, Langley Working Paper: 506, February 1968. - lists "at least 290 tracks".

Miscellaneous

Terrestrial boulder tracks and snow rollers

EPOD (Earth Science Picture of the Day)
The mysterious Moving Rocks:
http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2002/03/the-mysterious-moving-rocks.html
Snow Roller:
http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2017/02/archive-snow-roller.html
Gravity driven Snow Roller:
http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2007/04/gravity-driven-snow-roller.html

Boulder tracks on Mars?

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