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Montes Pyrenaeus

Pyrenees, Mountain Range on the Moon

With a name derived from the mountains of the Pyrenees on Earth, Montes Pyrenaeus on the Moon is a strip of highland running down the eastern side of Mare Nectaris, the Sea of Nectar. This range of lunar mountains extends southward from the crater Gutenberg, running for a little over 160 kilometres. On the west their pale heights stand out strongly against the dark basalt of Mare Nectaris, while on their east they descend into the cratered lowlands southwestward of Mare Fecunditatis. Their southern end is marked by a chain of craters, of which the most prominent is the 33-kilometre Bohnenberger.

The regolith (the surface lunar rock) of Montes Pyrenaeus is composed primarily of the mineral anorthosite, a material which erodes comparitively easily. Any impact craters that form within the mountains erode away relatively quickly as compared with the surrounding terrain, especially the hard basalt of the neighbouring Mare Nectaris. The range therefore shows few distinct craters among its heights, and none of significant size.

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