Layering in Messier A

Like sand sifted through the fingers of a giant, loose debris beautifully ornaments the slopes of the Messier A crater walls. Outcropping bedrock projections stand in relief against avalanches that once flowed on either side. This is yet another region of mare deposit where we see evidence for multiple, thin lava flows, now exposed in cross-section by the excavations of an impact. This fine layering is a surprise to planetary scientists - one of the many revelations about the Moon made with high resolution imaging.