Mare Marginis lies on the very edge of the lunar nearside.
It differs from most of the nearside maria. It has an irregular
outline, and it appears to be fairly thin. Note the small
circular and elongated features in the mare plains. These
probably mark impact craters buried by less than 1000 -
1700 feet of lava. Further, Mare Marginis is not centered
on any clear, large impact basin. Thus, Mare Marginis
seems to mark a low-lying region of the highlands where
mare lavas were just able to reach the surface. Several
large mare-floored craters also occur nearby. In these
craters, the crater floors lie below the surrounding highland
surface. Thus, they mark sites around Mare Marginis
where lavas were close to the lunar surface. The major crater
to the north of Marginis Al-Biruni, with Ibn Yunus to the southeast,
and Goddard to the northwest.
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