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Larger expanded version of color chart above
 USGS Chart 2030S-160180
Lunascan Project composite of Sections 141,142,151,152
LAC/WAC 104 in pdf
LAC/WAC 119 in pdf ***

Van de Graaff is a 233 km wide, unusual lunar formation, 4 km deep, that has the appearance of two merged craters, approximately in a figure eight shape with no intervening rim separating the two halves.  Of recent interest is the find in Paracelsus C (***) of two extremely interesting "structures". Paracelsus is an impact crater located to the east of the crater Barbier, and to the SW of the large walled plain Vertregt. To the south is the Mare Ingenii (out of frame), one of the few lunar maria on the far side. Along the eastern rim of Van de Graaff is Zelinsky and the lava flooded Thomson is to the SW near the bottom of our Section. It can be seen in high res in the LAC/WAC 119 pdf . ***  The crater Birkeland (Section 142) is attached to the southeast rim, nestling against the slightly narrower "waist" of the formation. To the north is Aitken (Section 130), and Nassau (also Section 142) lies to the east. The outer rim has some terracing along the southwest wall, but is generally in a worn and eroded state. A pair of craterlets overlay the southeast rim, next to Birkeland. There are also several small craters on the interior floor of Van de Graaff. The southwest section has a central peak, while the northeast floor is slightly smoother in form. Orbital studies of the Moon have demonstrated that there is a local magnetic field in the vicinity of this formation that is stronger than the natural lunar field. This is most likely an indication of volcanic rock underneath the surface. The crater also has a slightly higher concentration of radioactive materials than is typical for the lunar surface. The crater walls in the vicinity of Van de Graaff display an unusual grooved texture. This region lies at the antipode of the Mare Imbrium impact site, and it is thought that powerful seismic waves from this event converged at this point. Most likely this energy created the grooved appearance as the tremors triggered landslides, although the grooves may also have been formed by deposited clumps of ejecta from the impact. (Credit: Most of the information used in this section feature descriptions was obtained from wikipedia.org. Section 141 and this directory was created by Fran Ridge and Ned Haskin of The Lunascan Project).