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Montes Alpes




Montes Alpes is a mountain range in the northern part of the Moon 's near side. It was named for the Alps in Europe .

This range forms the northeastern border of the Mare Imbrium Lunar Mare . To the west of the range is the level and nearly featureless mare, while on the eastern face is a more rugged continental area with a higher Albedo . The range begins about one crater diameter northwest of Cassini Crater , at the Promontorium Agassiz, then stretches about 50 Kilometre s to the northwest then continues in intermittent fashion to the eastern rim of Plato Crater . It is in this last stretch that can be found the system of Rille s named Rimae Plato.

The northwestern third of the range is separated from the remainder of the mountains by the Vallis Alpes , a wide rift valley that extends from a narrow cleft in the Montes Alpes to the northeast, reaching the edge of the Mare Frigoris . The total length of this formation is about 180 km, and it reaches a maximum width of 20 km. Running down the center of this valley is a narrow cleft.

About one third the length of the range from the southeast is the Mons Blanc mountain, a peak rising to a height of 3.6 km. This compares to a typical height of peaks in this range of 1.8 to 2.4 km. Mid-way between Mons Blanc and the Promontorium Agassiz is the Promontorium Deville. To the southwest of Promontorium Agassiz, is the isolated Mons Piton , a peak rising to a height of 2.3 km.