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Eratosthenian

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Also known as Eratosthenian period

The Eratosthenian period in the lunar geologic timescale runs from 3.2 billion years ago to 1.1 billion years ago. It is named after the crater Eratosthenes, which displays characteristics typical of craters of this age, including a surface that is not significantly eroded by subsequent impacts, but which also does not possess a ray system. The massive basaltic volcanism of the Imbrian period tapered off and ceased during this long span of lunar time. The youngest lunar lava flows identified from orbital images are tentatively placed near the end of this period.

Key facts

Geologic timespan.name
Eratosthenian
Geologic timespan.manual_color
rgb(60.0, 213.0, 185.0)
Geologic timespan.top_bar
Lunar
Geologic timespan.time_start
3200
Geologic timespan.time_end
1100
Geologic timespan.timeline
Lunar periods
Geologic timespan.celestial_body
moon
Geologic timespan.timescales_used
Lunar Geologic Timescale
Geologic timespan.chrono_unit
Period

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Named after
Eratosthenes
Show 2 more facts
end time
1100000000
start time
3200000000
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~1 min read

Encyclopedic overview

2 sections
Contents
  • Examples
  • References

The Eratosthenian period in the lunar geologic timescale runs from 3.2 billion years ago to 1.1 billion years ago. It is named after the crater Eratosthenes, which displays characteristics typical of craters of this age, including a surface that is not significantly eroded by subsequent impacts, but which also does not possess a ray system. The massive basaltic volcanism of the Imbrian period tapered off and ceased during this long span of lunar time. The youngest lunar lava flows identified from orbital images are tentatively placed near the end of this period.

Its equivalent on Earth consists of most of the Mesoarchean and Neoarchean eras (Archean eon), Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic eras (Proterozoic eon).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Eratosthenian” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.