List of maria on the Moon


This is a list of maria (large, dark, basaltic plains) on the Moon. It includes other basaltic plains, including the one oceanus as well as features known by the names lacus, palus and sinus. The modern system of lunar nomenclature was introduced in 1651 by Giovanni Battista Riccioli.

Riccioli's map of the Moon was drawn by Francesco Maria Grimaldi, who has a crater named after him. A related set of features are the Lunar lacus /ˈlkəs/ (singular also lacus, Latin for "lake"), which are smaller basaltic plains of similar origin. A related set of features are the sinus /ˈsnəs/ (singular sinus, Latin for "bay") and paludes /pəˈldz/ (singular palus /ˈpləs/, Latin palūs, palūdēs "marsh").

There was also a region on the Lunar farside that was briefly misidentified as a mare and named Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire). It is no longer recognized. Other former? maria include: Mare Parvum ("Small Sea"), immediately to the east of Inghirami; Mare Incognitum ("Unknown Sea"); Mare Novum ("New Sea"), northeast of Plutarch; and Mare Struve ("Struve's Sea"), near Messala. Some sources also list a Palus Nebularum (Latin palūs nebulārum /ˈpləs nɛbjʊˈlɛərəm/ "Marsh of Mists") at 38.0° N, 1.0° E. However, the designation for this feature has not been officially recognized by the IAU.