Astronomy:List of quadrangles on the Moon

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Layout of the 30 lunar quadrangles at the 1:2,500,000 map scale
Layout of the 144 Lunar quadrangles at the 1:1,000,000 map scale

The Moon has been divided into 30 quadrangles by the United States Geological Survey at the 1:2,500,000 map scale.[1] At the 1:1,000,000 scale it's divided into 144 quadrangles.[2]

The quadrangles are numbered in bands from north to south. Each band is then divided into a latitude-dependent number of quadrangles. At the poles, the bands consist of a single quadrangle, so LQ01 is a circle around the north pole.

Quadrangles at the 1:2,500,000 scale
Name Number Latitude Longitude
LQ01 65° to 90° −180° to 180°
LQ02 30° to 65° −180° to −120°
LQ03 −120° to −60°
LQ04 −60° to 0°
LQ05 0° to 60°
LQ06 60° to 120°
LQ07 120° to 180°
LQ08 0° to 30° −180° to −135°
LQ09 −135° to −90°
Marius[3] LQ10 −90° to −45°
Copernicus[3] LQ11 −45° to 0°
LQ12 0° to 45°
LQ13 45° to 90°
LQ14 90° to 135°
LQ15 135° to 180°
LQ16 −30° to 0° −180° to −135°
LQ17 −135° to −90°
Grimaldi[4] LQ18 −90° to −45°
Mare Nubium[5] LQ19 −45° to 0°
LQ20 0° to 45°
LQ21 45° to 90°
LQ22 90° to 135°
LQ23 135° to 180°
LQ24 −65° to −30° −180° to −120°
LQ25 −120° to −60°
LQ26 −60° to 0°
LQ27 0° to 60°
LQ28 60° to 120°
Planck[6] LQ29 120° to 180°
Lunar South Pole[7] LQ30 −90° to −65° −180° to 180°


At the 1:1,000,000 scale, there are 12 latitude bands, 6 in each hemisphere. The bands nearest the equator are 16° high, and the first and last bands are 10° radius circles around the poles. The bands are then divided into quadrangles, but unlike the 1:2,500,000 system, the seam is placed at +10° longitude (so 0° longitude is in the middle of a quadrangle), and the numbering within a band starts between −80° and −90°:

  • (±90° to ±80°) 1 quadrangle of 360°, beginning at −80°
  • (±80° to ±64°) 8 quadrangles of 45°, beginning at −80°
  • (±64° to ±48°) 12 quadrangles of 30°, beginning at −80°
  • (±48° to ±32°) 15 quadrangles of 24°, beginning at −86°
  • (±32° to ±16°) 18 quadrangles of 20°, beginning at −90°
  • (±16° to 0°) 18 quadrangles of 20°, beginning at −90°

See also

References

  1. "Lunar Geologic Mapping". NASA/USGS Planetary Geologic Mapping Program. 2007-09-19. https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/Projects/PlanetaryMapping/Lunar/. 
  2. USGS Astrogeology: Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature - USGS Digital Atlas of the Moon
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Lunar Geologic Mapping: Mapping Scheme and Layout". NASA/USGS Planetary Geologic Mapping Program. 2006-04-21. https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/Projects/PlanetaryMapping/Lunar/layout.html. 
  4. Liu, Jianzhong (2020). "NEW GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE LQ-18 (GRIMALDI) QUADRANGLE ON THE MOON". 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 
  5. Liu, Jianzhong (2017). "NEW GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE LQ-19 (MARE NUBIUM) QUADRANGLE ON THE MOON". Lunar and Planetary Science XLVIII. 
  6. Yingst, R.A (2017). "GEOLOGIC MAPPING OF THE PLANCK QUADRANGLE OF THE MOON (LQ-29)". Lunar and Planetary Science XLVIII. 
  7. Mest, S.C. (2015). "UPDATE ON THE GEOLOGIC MAPPING OF THE LUNAR SOUTH POLE QUADRANGLE (LQ-30): EVALUATING MARE, CRYPTOMARE AND IMPACT MELT DEPOSITS". 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.