Clusters of high-albedo boulders on wrinkle ridges

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Orbital close up photographs of remarkable clusters of high-albedo boulders on (a certain kind of) wrinkle ridges. Some of those ridges show a curious "zebra" appearance (hence the name of LROC-article number 336). Most of those clusters are very sharp edged (sharp boundaries). For explorers on the moon's surface they must look quite spectacular! (distinct fields of white boulders!).


LROC articles

Article number 18: Crisium's Constellation Region of Interest (cluster of boulders on a small section of the southeastern part of Dorsum Termier near the southern coastline of Mare Crisium) (very near an officially unnamed ghost-crater).
Article number 163: Constellation Region of Interest at Mare Tranquillitatis (high-albedo spots on the system of officially unnamed wrinkle ridges northeast of Arago).
Article number 302: Buckland Boulders (clusters of high-albedo boulders on the part of Dorsum Buckland southwest of Bobillier, in Mare Serenitatis).
Article number 320: Bright ridge near Mons Hansteen.
Article number 321: Wrinkle ridge in Oceanus Procellarum (north of Damoiseau L).
Article number 336: Zebra Stripes (high-albedo spots on an officially unnamed wrinkle ridge east-northeast of Reiner E, south of Suess G, in Oceanus Procellarum).
Article number 632: Boulders in the Sea of Serenity (at the northwestern part of Dorsum Buckland).
Article number 799: Littered Wrinkles (north-northeast of Nicollet in Mare Nubium).

The abundance of White Spots on the wrinkle ridges of Mare Humorum

To try to find your way on the floor of Mare Humorum is a tricky business, because none of the wrinkle ridges up here have names. Moonobserver Danny Caes decided to include some sort of unofficial nomenclature system (see list below).
Why an additional nomenclature system for wrinkle ridges in Mare Humorum?
The LROC's High-Res NAC close up photographs of Mare Humorum reveal curious chains of White Spots on the uppermost parts of its wrinkle ridges. Each one of these White Spots is composed of a large number of high-albedo boulders and rocks. These small compact fields of "white" boulders and rocks must be quite a strange experience for astronauts who want to explore these odd spots. Another curiosity of these boulder-rich fields is their sharp appearance (sharp boundaries). An astronaut would cross a flat featureless low-albedo region to enter (abruptly) a "lunar wood" of high-albedo boulders and rocks! One could call these White Spots lunar labyrinths composed of irregular white walls!

Catalog of wrinkle ridges in Mare Humorum
  • Dorsum Puiseux D: the pronounced wrinkle ridge at the eastern part of Mare Humorum, with crater Puiseux D about "halfway" on the ridge.
  • Puiseux D North: the northern part of Dorsum Puiseux D.
  • Puiseux D South: the southern (or southwestern) part of Dorsum Puiseux D (from Puiseux D to Puiseux G).
  • Gassendi Southeast: the pronounced wrinkle ridge from Gassendi to Gassendi O.
  • Gassendi Southwest: the curved wrinkle ridge southwest of Gassendi.
  • Dorsa Kelvin: the arc-shaped system of wrinkle ridges on the eastern part of Mare Humorum, near Promontorium Kelvin.
  • Dorsum Doppelmayer J: the wrinkle ridge north-northwest of Doppelmayer J at Mare Humorum's western part.