121-578: Kilmartin Glen is an area in Argyll north of Knapdale . It has the most important concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in mainland Scotland . The glen is located between Oban and Lochgilphead , surrounding the village of Kilmartin . In the village, Kilmartin Museum explains the stories of this ancient landscape and the people who dwelt there. There are more than 800 ancient monuments within
242-654: A Sheriff of Argyll was in 1326. The position appears to have been a re-establishment or renaming of the position of the Sheriff of Lorn. The post subsequently became a hereditary position held by members of Clan Campbell . Despite the creation of the shires, much of the area remained under the practical control of the Lord of the Isles until 1476, when John MacDonald , last Lord of the Isles, quitclaimed Kintyre, Knapdale, and Mid-Argyll to full Scottish control. In 1481, Knapdale
363-526: A lunar eclipse , always illuminated by the Sun, but from Earth the visible illumination shifts during its orbit, producing the lunar phases . The Moon is the brightest celestial object in Earth's night sky . This is mainly due to its large angular diameter , while the reflectance of the lunar surface is comparable to that of asphalt . The apparent size is nearly the same as that of the Sun, allowing it to cover
484-425: A decisive role on local surface temperatures . Parts of many craters, particularly the bottoms of many polar craters, are permanently shadowed, these " craters of eternal darkness " have extremely low temperatures. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter measured the lowest summer temperatures in craters at the southern pole at 35 K (−238 °C; −397 °F) and just 26 K (−247 °C; −413 °F) close to
605-434: A few kilometers wide), shallower, and more irregularly shaped than impact craters. They also lack the upturned rims characteristic of impact craters. Several geologic provinces containing shield volcanoes and volcanic domes are found within the near side maria. There are also some regions of pyroclastic deposits , scoria cones and non-basaltic domes made of particularly high viscosity lava. Almost all maria are on
726-503: A global dipolar magnetic field and only has crustal magnetization likely acquired early in its history when a dynamo was still operating. Early in its history, 4 billion years ago, its magnetic field strength was likely close to that of Earth today. This early dynamo field apparently expired by about one billion years ago, after the lunar core had crystallized. Theoretically, some of the remnant magnetization may originate from transient magnetic fields generated during large impacts through
847-718: A hospitable environment for future astronauts, protecting them from extreme temperatures, solar radiation, and micrometeorites. However, challenges include accessibility and risks of avalanches and cave-ins. This discovery offers potential for future lunar bases or emergency shelters. The main features visible from Earth by the naked eye are dark and relatively featureless lunar plains called maria (singular mare ; Latin for "seas", as they were once believed to be filled with water) are vast solidified pools of ancient basaltic lava. Although similar to terrestrial basalts, lunar basalts have more iron and no minerals altered by water. The majority of these lava deposits erupted or flowed into
968-480: A hypothesized Mars-sized body called Theia . The lunar surface is covered in lunar dust and marked by mountains , impact craters , their ejecta , ray-like streaks , rilles and, mostly on the near side of the Moon, by dark maria ("seas"), which are plains of cooled lava . These maria were formed when molten lava flowed into ancient impact basins. The Moon is, except when passing through Earth's shadow during
1089-533: A landscape featuring craters of all ages. The Moon was volcanically active until 1.2 billion years ago, which laid down the prominent lunar maria . Most of the mare basalts erupted during the Imbrian period , 3.3–3.7 billion years ago, though some are as young as 1.2 billion years and some as old as 4.2 billion years. There are differing explanations for the eruption of mare basalts, particularly their uneven occurrence which mainly appear on
1210-488: A large number of islands that fall within the Inner Hebrides . Mainland Argyll is characterised by mountainous Highland scenery interspersed with hundreds of lochs, with a heavily indented coastline containing numerous small offshore islands. The islands present a contrasting range of scenery – from the relatively flat islands of Coll and Tiree to the mountainous terrain of Jura and Mull . For ease of reference
1331-428: A radius of about 500 kilometres (310 mi). This structure is thought to have developed through the fractional crystallization of a global magma ocean shortly after the Moon's formation 4.5 billion years ago. Crystallization of this magma ocean would have created a mafic mantle from the precipitation and sinking of the minerals olivine , clinopyroxene , and orthopyroxene ; after about three-quarters of
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#17327650867861452-458: A satellite with similar mass and iron content to the Moon into orbit far outside Earth's Roche limit . Even satellites that initially pass within the Roche limit can reliably and predictably survive, by being partially stripped and then torqued onto wider, stable orbits. On November 1, 2023, scientists reported that, according to computer simulations, remnants of Theia could still be present inside
1573-405: A single menhir in the middle. Around which are seven smaller stones and one fallen one. Another menhir is one hundred metres to the northwest leading towards the circle. Alexander Thom toured this site with Magnus Magnusson in 1970 in a BBC television documentary called "Chronicle: Cracking the stone age code" . He suggested that it "gave so much information that it must be regarded as one of
1694-463: A six-mile (ten-kilometre) radius of the village, with 150 monuments being prehistoric. Monuments include standing stones , a henge monument , numerous cists , and a "linear cemetery" comprising five burial cairns . Several of these, as well as many natural rocks, are decorated with cup and ring marks . The remains at Dunadd of the fortress of the Scots, a royal centre of Dal Riata , are located to
1815-475: A study of Ina , a tiny depression in Lacus Felicitatis , found jagged, relatively dust-free features that, because of the lack of erosion by infalling debris, appeared to be only 2 million years old. Moonquakes and releases of gas indicate continued lunar activity. Evidence of recent lunar volcanism has been identified at 70 irregular mare patches , some less than 50 million years old. This raises
1936-502: A texture resembling snow and a scent resembling spent gunpowder . The regolith of older surfaces is generally thicker than for younger surfaces: it varies in thickness from 10–15 m (33–49 ft) in the highlands and 4–5 m (13–16 ft) in the maria. Beneath the finely comminuted regolith layer is the megaregolith , a layer of highly fractured bedrock many kilometers thick. These extreme conditions are considered to make it unlikely for spacecraft to harbor bacterial spores at
2057-439: A trans-Atlantic flight, 200 times more than on Earth's surface. For further comparison radiation on a flight to Mars is about 1.84 millisieverts per day and on Mars on average 0.64 millisieverts per day, with some locations on Mars possibly having levels as low as 0.342 millisieverts per day. The Moon's axial tilt with respect to the ecliptic is only 1.5427°, much less than the 23.44° of Earth. Because of this small tilt,
2178-531: Is 1.2% that of the Earth, and its diameter is 3,474 km (2,159 mi), roughly one-quarter of Earth's (about as wide as the United States from coast to coast ). Within the Solar System , it is the largest and most massive satellite in relation to its parent planet , the fifth largest and most massive moon overall, and larger and more massive than all known dwarf planets . Its surface gravity
2299-504: Is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland . The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area now forms part of the larger Argyll and Bute council area . Argyll is of ancient origin, and broadly corresponds to the ancient kingdom of Dál Riata less the parts which were in Ireland . Argyll was also a medieval bishopric with its cathedral at Lismore . In medieval times
2420-407: Is about one sixth of Earth's, about half of that of Mars , and the second highest among all Solar System moons, after Jupiter 's moon Io . The body of the Moon is differentiated and terrestrial , with no significant hydrosphere , atmosphere , or magnetic field . It formed 4.51 billion years ago, not long after Earth's formation , out of the debris from a giant impact between Earth and
2541-489: Is around 3 × 10 atm (0.3 nPa ); it varies with the lunar day. Its sources include outgassing and sputtering , a product of the bombardment of lunar soil by solar wind ions. Elements that have been detected include sodium and potassium , produced by sputtering (also found in the atmospheres of Mercury and Io ); helium-4 and neon from the solar wind; and argon-40 , radon-222 , and polonium-210 , outgassed after their creation by radioactive decay within
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#17327650867862662-532: Is asymmetric, being more dense near the boundary between the Moon's dayside and nightside. Ionizing radiation from cosmic rays , the Sun and the resulting neutron radiation produce radiation levels on average of 1.369 millisieverts per day during lunar daytime , which is about 2.6 times more than on the International Space Station with 0.53 millisieverts per day at about 400 km above Earth in orbit, 5–10 times more than during
2783-561: Is estimated from about 500 km (300 miles) to 1,737 km (1,079 miles). While the giant-impact theory explains many lines of evidence, some questions are still unresolved, most of which involve the Moon's composition. Models that have the Moon acquiring a significant amount of the proto-earth are more difficult to reconcile with geochemical data for the isotopes of zirconium, oxygen, silicon, and other elements. A study published in 2022, using high-resolution simulations (up to 10 particles), found that giant impacts can immediately place
2904-513: Is generally said to derive from Old Irish airer Goídel , meaning "border region of the Gaels". The early 13th-century author of De Situ Albanie wrote that "the name Arregathel means the margin (i.e., border region) of the Scots or Irish, because all Scots and Irish are generally called Gattheli (i.e. Gaels), from their ancient warleader known as Gaithelglas ." The word airer also means "coast" when applied to maritime regions, so
3025-526: Is known as Loch Eil ), almost cutting the northern mainland section of Argyll in two. This area, in the vicinity of Fort William and along the railway line, contains the largest towns of northern mainland Argyll. Ardnamurchan is a remote, mountainous region with only one access road; it terminates in Ardnamurchan Point and Corrachadh Mòr , the westernmost points of the British mainland. In
3146-440: Is on average about 1.9 km (1.2 mi) higher than that of the near side. The discovery of fault scarp cliffs suggest that the Moon has shrunk by about 90 metres (300 ft) within the past billion years. Similar shrinkage features exist on Mercury . Mare Frigoris, a basin near the north pole long assumed to be geologically dead, has cracked and shifted. Since the Moon does not have tectonic plates, its tectonic activity
3267-417: Is over 6m long, around 1.7m high, and 1.8m wide at its northern end, tapering to 1.5m. Although now exposed, the chamber would have been encased within the cairn. Two cists were also located in this cairn, to the south of the chamber. Archaeological finds recovered from Nether Largie South include Neolithic pottery and arrowheads. This is the most southerly cairn in the linear cemetery, believed locally to be
3388-477: Is simply Moon , with a capital M. The noun moon is derived from Old English mōna , which (like all its Germanic cognates) stems from Proto-Germanic *mēnōn , which in turn comes from Proto-Indo-European *mēnsis 'month' (from earlier *mēnōt , genitive *mēneses ) which may be related to the verb 'measure' (of time). Occasionally, the name Luna / ˈ l uː n ə / is used in scientific writing and especially in science fiction to distinguish
3509-574: Is slow and cracks develop as it loses heat. Scientists have confirmed the presence of a cave on the Moon near the Sea of Tranquillity , not far from the 1969 Apollo 11 landing site. The cave, identified as an entry point to a collapsed lava tube, is roughly 45 meters wide and up to 80 m long. This discovery marks the first confirmed entry point to a lunar cave. The analysis was based on photos taken in 2010 by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter . The cave's stable temperature of around 17 °C could provide
3630-476: Is the lowest point on the surface of the Moon. The highest elevations of the Moon's surface are located directly to the northeast, which might have been thickened by the oblique formation impact of the South Pole–Aitken basin. Other large impact basins such as Imbrium , Serenitatis , Crisium , Smythii , and Orientale possess regionally low elevations and elevated rims. The far side of the lunar surface
3751-600: The Kyles of Bute lies the island of Bute , which is part of Buteshire , and to east across Loch Long lies the Rosneath peninsula in Dunbartonshire . The topography of south Argyll is in general heavily mountainous and sparsely populated, with numerous lochs; Kintyre is slightly flatter though still hilly. Near Glen Coe can be found Bidean nam Bian , the tallest peak in the county at 1,150 m (3,770 ft). Of
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3872-574: The Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1983 (renamed Argyll in 1950). The Argyll and Bute constituency was created when the Argyll constituency was abolished. Civil parishes are still used for some statistical purposes, and separate census figures are published for them. As their areas have been largely unchanged since
3993-507: The Treaty of Perth re-established the Scottish crown's authority over the parts of Argyll which had been under Norwegian rule, along with the former Kingdom of the Isles, which together became the semi-independent Lordship of the Isles . By this time, the rest of the area under Scottish rule was divided into shires , administered by sheriffs . The shires covered different territories to
4114-474: The terminus of which lies only 13 miles (21 kilometres) from Northern Ireland on the other side of the North Channel . The coast is complex, with the west coast in particular being heavily indented and containing numerous sea inlets, peninsulas and sub-peninsulas; of the latter, the major ones (north to south) are Appin , Ardchattan , Craignish , Tayvallich , Taynish , Knapdale and Kintyre , and
4235-553: The 17th century, under instruction from James VI , the Campbells were sent to the MacDonald territory at Islay and Jura , which they subdued and added to the shire of Argyll. Campbell pressure at this time also led to the sheriff court for Tarbertshire being moved to Inverary , where the Campbells held the court for the sheriff of Argyll. Tarbertshire was subsequently abolished by an act of parliament in 1633, being absorbed into
4356-519: The 19th century, this allows for comparison of population figures over an extended period of time. The West Highland railway runs through the far north of the county, stopping at Locheilside , Loch Eil Outward Bound , Corpach and Banavie , before carrying on to Mallaig in Inverness-shire. A branch of the line also goes to Oban , calling at Dalmally , Loch Awe , Falls of Cruachan , Taynuilt and Connel Ferry . Numerous ferries link
4477-486: The 5th and 9th centuries. Its territory covered north-eastern parts of Ireland in what later became County Antrim , part of the mainland of Great Britain in what is now western Scotland , and numerous islands in the Inner Hebrides . A fortress at Dunadd in the Kilmartin Glen, 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of the modern town of Lochgilphead , served as the main seat of the kingdom. Dál Riata fragmented in
4598-651: The 9th century during the Viking Age ; the part in Ireland was absorbed into the kingdom of Ulaid , the islands came under the control of the Kingdom of the Isles , and the part on mainland Britain was united in 843 AD with the Pictish kingdom to its east under Kenneth MacAlpin to become the Kingdom of Alba . The name Argyll ( Airer Goídel ), meaning 'coast or borderland of the Gaels', came to be used for
4719-452: The Earth and the material accreted and formed the Moon just beyond the Earth's Roche limit of ~ 2.56 R 🜨 . Giant impacts are thought to have been common in the early Solar System. Computer simulations of giant impacts have produced results that are consistent with the mass of the lunar core and the angular momentum of the Earth–Moon system. These simulations show that most of
4840-520: The Earth's moon from others, while in poetry "Luna" has been used to denote personification of the Moon. Cynthia / ˈ s ɪ n θ i ə / is another poetic name, though rare, for the Moon personified as a goddess, while Selene / s ə ˈ l iː n iː / (literally 'Moon') is the Greek goddess of the Moon. The English adjective pertaining to the Moon is lunar , derived from the Latin word for
4961-429: The Earth, due to gravitational anomalies from impact basins. Its shape is more elongated than current tidal forces can account for. This 'fossil bulge' indicates that the Moon solidified when it orbited at half its current distance to the Earth, and that it is now too cold for its shape to restore hydrostatic equilibrium at its current orbital distance. The Moon is by size and mass the fifth largest natural satellite of
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5082-469: The Earth-Moon system might be explained by the post-impact mixing of the vaporized material that formed the two, although this is debated. The impact would have released enough energy to liquefy both the ejecta and the Earth's crust, forming a magma ocean. The liquefied ejecta could have then re-accreted into the Earth–Moon system. The newly formed Moon would have had its own magma ocean ; its depth
5203-530: The Earth. The newly formed Moon settled into a much closer Earth orbit than it has today. Each body therefore appeared much larger in the sky of the other, eclipses were more frequent, and tidal effects were stronger. Due to tidal acceleration , the Moon's orbit around Earth has become significantly larger, with a longer period. Following formation, the Moon has cooled and most of its atmosphere has been stripped. The lunar surface has since been shaped by large impact events and many small ones, forming
5324-732: The MacDonalds, to avoid potential conflict. The MacLeans were an ancient family based in Lorn (including Mull), and following the quitclaim, they no longer had a Laird in Mull, so themselves became Mull's Lairds. Unlike the MacDonalds, they were fervent supporters of the Reformation, even supporting acts of civil disobedience against king Charles II 's repudiation of the Solemn League and Covenant . Archibald Campbell (Earl of Argyll)
5445-504: The Moon approximately 10 minutes, taking 5 minutes to rise, and 5 minutes to fall. On average, 120 kilograms of dust are present above the Moon, rising up to 100 kilometers above the surface. Dust counts made by LADEE 's Lunar Dust EXperiment (LDEX) found particle counts peaked during the Geminid , Quadrantid , Northern Taurid , and Omicron Centaurid meteor showers , when the Earth, and Moon pass through comet debris. The lunar dust cloud
5566-458: The Moon derived from the impactor, rather than the proto-Earth. However, models from 2007 and later suggest a larger fraction of the Moon derived from the proto-Earth. Other bodies of the inner Solar System such as Mars and Vesta have, according to meteorites from them, very different oxygen and tungsten isotopic compositions compared to Earth. However, Earth and the Moon have nearly identical isotopic compositions. The isotopic equalization of
5687-495: The Moon for longer than just one lunar orbit. The topography of the Moon has been measured with laser altimetry and stereo image analysis . Its most extensive topographic feature is the giant far-side South Pole–Aitken basin , some 2,240 km (1,390 mi) in diameter, the largest crater on the Moon and the second-largest confirmed impact crater in the Solar System . At 13 km (8.1 mi) deep, its floor
5808-466: The Moon formed around 50 million years after the origin of the Solar System . Historically, several formation mechanisms have been proposed, but none satisfactorily explains the features of the Earth–Moon system. A fission of the Moon from Earth's crust through centrifugal force would require too great an initial rotation rate of Earth. Gravitational capture of a pre-formed Moon depends on an unfeasibly extended atmosphere of Earth to dissipate
5929-455: The Moon is a crescent\decrescent, [REDACTED] \ [REDACTED] , for example in M ☾ 'lunar mass' (also M L ). The lunar geological periods are named after their characteristic features, from most impact craters outside the dark mare , to the mare and later craters, and finally the young, still bright and therefore readily visible craters with ray systems like Copernicus or Tycho . Isotope dating of lunar samples suggests
6050-558: The Moon's solar illumination varies much less with season than on Earth and it allows for the existence of some peaks of eternal light at the Moon's north pole , at the rim of the crater Peary . The surface is exposed to drastic temperature differences ranging from 120 °C to −171 °C depending on the solar irradiance . Because of the lack of atmosphere, temperatures of different areas vary particularly upon whether they are in sunlight or shadow, making topographical details play
6171-403: The Moon, lūna . Selenian / s ə l iː n i ə n / is an adjective used to describe the Moon as a world, rather than as a celestial object, but its use is rare. It is derived from σελήνη selēnē , the Greek word for the Moon, and its cognate selenic was originally a rare synonym but now nearly always refers to the chemical element selenium . The element name selenium and
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#17327650867866292-405: The Scottish reformation, each sheriffdom elected commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland . As well as the commissioner representing Argyll , at least one was sent to represent Tarbertshire, Sir Lachlan Maclean of Morvern . In the 1630 parliamentary session, Sir Coll Lamont, laird of Lamont , was the commissioner for "Argyll and Tarbert ". There was an Argyllshire constituency of
6413-494: The Solar System relative to their primary planets. The Moon's diameter is about 3,500 km, more than a quarter of Earth's, with the face of the Moon comparable to the width of either Mainland Australia , Europe or the Contiguous United States (which excludes Alaska , etc.). The whole surface area of the Moon is about 38 million square kilometers, comparable to North and South America combined,
6534-467: The Solar System, categorizable as one of its planetary-mass moons , making it a satellite planet under the geophysical definitions of the term . It is smaller than Mercury and considerably larger than the largest dwarf planet of the Solar System, Pluto . While the minor-planet moon Charon of the Pluto-Charon system is larger relative to Pluto, the Moon is the largest natural satellite of
6655-426: The Sun completely during a total solar eclipse . From Earth about 59% of the lunar surface is visible over time due to cyclical shifts in perspective ( libration ), making parts of the far side of the Moon visible. The Moon has been an important source of inspiration and knowledge for humans, having been crucial to cosmography , mythology, religion , art, time keeping , natural science , and spaceflight . In 1959,
6776-501: The alternative form 'Argyllshire' for the county on its maps. The Kilmartin Glen has standing stones and other monuments dating back to around 3000 BC, and is one of the most significant areas for Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in mainland Scotland . In 563 AD Iona Abbey was founded, becoming one of the most important early Christian sites in Scotland. The Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata existed between
6897-423: The area around Inveraray between Loch Fyne and Loch Awe (the latter sometimes described by later writers as "Argyll proper" or "Mid-Argyll" to distinguish it from the wider area). The term "North Argyll" was also used to refer to the area later called Wester Ross . It was called North Argyll as it was settled by missionaries and refugees from Dál Riata , based at the abbey of Applecross . The position of abbot
7018-473: The area was divided into a number of provincial lordships . One of these, covering only the central part of the later county, was called Argyll. It was initially an earldom , elevated to become a dukedom in 1701 with the creation of the Duke of Argyll . Other lordships in the area included Cowal , Kintyre , Knapdale , and Lorn . From at least the 14th century there was a Sheriff of Argyll , whose jurisdiction
7139-590: The boundary of the cairn, can still be seen. Inside two cists were found, with grooved joints between the stone slabs. Cup marks, and a carving of an axehead, can be seen on the southern cist. Nether Largie South is the oldest monument of the linear cemetery. It is a Neolithic chambered cairn of the Clyde type, probably dating from the fourth millennium BC. The cairn was probably originally around 40m in diameter and 4m high, although stone robbing has reduced its size. The internal chamber, subdivided into four by floor slabs,
7260-413: The combined American landmass having an area (excluding all islands) of 37.7 million square kilometers. The Moon's mass is 1/81 of Earth's, being the second densest among the planetary moons, and having the second highest surface gravity , after Io , at 0.1654 g and an escape velocity of 2.38 km/s ( 8 600 km/h; 5 300 mph) . The Moon is a differentiated body that
7381-466: The council bought the former Argyll Hotel at 5 Lochnell Street for £2,700, converting it to become their offices. The hotel had been built in 1887, and was renamed County Offices. The Lochgilphead building was not large enough to house all the council's staff, and some departments remained in other towns throughout the county council's existence, with the county treasurer being based in Campbeltown,
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#17327650867867502-469: The council should meet thereafter, with proposals put forward in favour of meeting in Lochgilphead , Inveraray , Oban , Dunoon , or even Glasgow (despite the latter being outside the county). It was decided to meet at Dunoon between May and September and at Oban for the rest of the year. The council did subsequently hold meetings in more places than just those two towns, meeting occasionally at all
7623-433: The crust and mantle. The absence of such neutral species (atoms or molecules) as oxygen , nitrogen , carbon , hydrogen and magnesium , which are present in the regolith , is not understood. Water vapor has been detected by Chandrayaan-1 and found to vary with latitude, with a maximum at ~60–70 degrees; it is possibly generated from the sublimation of water ice in the regolith. These gases either return into
7744-447: The dense mare basaltic lava flows that fill those basins. The anomalies greatly influence the orbit of spacecraft about the Moon. There are some puzzles: lava flows by themselves cannot explain all of the gravitational signature, and some mascons exist that are not linked to mare volcanism. The Moon has an external magnetic field of less than 0.2 nanoteslas , or less than one hundred thousandth that of Earth . The Moon does not have
7865-514: The depressions associated with impact basins , though the Moon's largest expanse of basalt flooding, Oceanus Procellarum , does not correspond to an obvious impact basin. Different episodes of lava flows in maria can often be recognized by variations in surface albedo and distinct flow margins. As the maria formed, cooling and contraction of the basaltic lava created wrinkle ridges in some areas. These low, sinuous ridges can extend for hundreds of kilometers and often outline buried structures within
7986-495: The diameter of Earth. Tidal forces between Earth and the Moon have synchronized the Moon's orbital period ( lunar month ) with its rotation period ( lunar day ) at 29.5 Earth days, causing the same side of the Moon to always face Earth. The Moon's gravitational pull—and, to a lesser extent, the Sun 's—are the main drivers of Earth's tides . In geophysical terms , the Moon is a planetary-mass object or satellite planet . Its mass
8107-468: The energy of the passing Moon. A co-formation of Earth and the Moon together in the primordial accretion disk does not explain the depletion of metals in the Moon. None of these hypotheses can account for the high angular momentum of the Earth–Moon system. The prevailing theory is that the Earth–Moon system formed after a giant impact of a Mars -sized body (named Theia ) with the proto-Earth . The oblique impact blasted material into orbit about
8228-422: The expansion of plasma clouds. These clouds are generated during large impacts in an ambient magnetic field. This is supported by the location of the largest crustal magnetizations situated near the antipodes of the giant impact basins. The Moon has an atmosphere so tenuous as to be nearly vacuum , with a total mass of less than 10 tonnes (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons). The surface pressure of this small mass
8349-1182: The exposed ones. Conversely, mare lava has obscured many impact melt sheets and pools. Impact melts are formed when intense shock pressures from collisions vaporize and melt zones around the impact site. Where still exposed, impact melt can be distinguished from mare lava by its distribution, albedo, and texture. Sinuous rilles , found in and around maria, are likely extinct lava channels or collapsed lava tubes . They typically originate from volcanic vents , meandering and sometimes branching as they progress. The largest examples, such as Schroter's Valley and Rima Hadley , are significantly longer, wider, and deeper than terrestrial lava channels, sometimes featuring bends and sharp turns that again, are uncommon on Earth. Mare volcanism has altered impact craters in various ways, including filling them to varying degrees, and raising and fracturing their floors from uplift of mare material beneath their interiors. Examples of such craters include Taruntius and Gassendi . Some craters, such as Hyginus , are of wholly volcanic origin, forming as calderas or collapse pits . Such craters are relatively rare, and tend to be smaller (typically
8470-510: The first human-made objects to leave Earth and reach another body arrived at the Moon, with the flyby of the Soviet Union 's Luna 1 and the intentional impact of Luna 2 . In 1966, the Moon became the first extraterrestrial body with a soft landing by Luna 9 and a orbital insertion by Luna 10 were achieved . On July 20, 1969, humans for the first time landed on the Moon and any extraterrestrial body, at Mare Tranquillitatis with
8591-502: The first of their kind to be found in Scotland. Depictions were contained two male red deer with full-grown forked horns, which were considered to have been the largest deer species in Scotland during this time. Two kilometers south of Kilmartin and one kilometer south of the Nether Largie South Cairn is the site of Bruach An Druimein. Excavated in the 1960s in advance of gravel quarrying, archaeologists discovered
8712-427: The flood lavas that erupted onto the surface from partial melting in the mantle confirm the mafic mantle composition, which is more iron-rich than that of Earth. The crust is on average about 50 kilometres (31 mi) thick. The Moon is the second-densest satellite in the Solar System, after Io . However, the inner core of the Moon is small, with a radius of about 350 kilometres (220 mi) or less, around 20% of
8833-492: The following is split into three sections: Mainland (north), Mainland (south) and the Inner Hebrides. The northern mainland section consists of two large peninsulas – Ardnamurchan and Morvern – divided by Loch Sunart , with a large inland section – known traditionally as Ardgour – bounded on the east by Loch Linnhe . This loch gradually narrows, before turning sharply west in the vicinity of Fort William (where it
8954-598: The following reasons: (i) the Barbreck Stones do not indicate any of the same declinations of celestial bodies as the Kilmartin Stones; (ii) the Barbreck Stones do not unambiguously indicate the declinations of any significant celestial body; and (iii) the Barbreck Stones do not indicate any prominent notches that can be used for investigation into the orbital variations of the Moon. Kilmartin Glen has "a remarkable concentration of some of
9075-553: The health department in Oban, and the education offices in Dunoon. After the county council's abolition in 1975, the building at 5 Lochnell Street became the sub-regional office of Strathclyde Regional Council, being renamed "Dalriada House", whilst the new Argyll and Bute District Council established its headquarters at nearby Kilmory Castle . Argyll is split into two non-contiguous mainland sections divided by Loch Linnhe , plus
9196-563: The inland parts are mountainous. Six towns in the county held burgh status: Campbeltown , Dunoon , Inveraray, Lochgilphead, Oban , and Tobermory . Argyll borders Inverness-shire to the north, Perthshire and Dunbartonshire to the east, and (separated by the Firth of Clyde ) neighbours Renfrewshire and Ayrshire to the south-east, and the County of Bute to the south. Argyll ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Most of
9317-401: The islands of Muck , Rùm , Canna , and Sanday being in Argyll but Eigg in Inverness-shire. The whole parish was placed in Inverness-shire in 1891. The parishes of Ardnamurchan and Kilmallie both also straddled Argyll and Inverness-shire; the county boundary through Kilmallie was adjusted to follow Loch Eil in 1891. In 1895 these two parishes were both split along the county boundary;
9438-474: The islands of the Inner Hebrides to each other and the Scottish mainland. Many of the islands also contain small airstrips enabling travel by air. A fairly extensive bus network links the larger towns of the area, with bus transport also available on the islands of Islay, Jura and Mull. The county contains a number of small airports which serve the region and Edinburgh/Glasgow: Oban , Tiree , Coll , Colonsay , Campbeltown and Islay . Kintyre has been one of
9559-471: The lander Eagle of the United States ' Apollo 11 mission. Five more crews were sent between then and 1972, each with two men landing on the surface. The longest stay was 75 hours by the Apollo 17 crew. Since then, exploration of the Moon has continued robotically, and crewed missions are being planned to return beginning in the late 2020s. The usual English proper name for Earth's natural satellite
9680-692: The lochs and bodies of water the largest are (roughly north to south) the Blackwater Reservoir , Loch Achtriochtan , Loch Laidon , Loch Bà , loch Buidhe , Lochan na Stainge , Loch Dochard , Loch Tulla , Loch Shira , the Cruachan Reservoir , Loch Restil , Loch Awe , Loch Avich , Blackmill Loch , Loch Nant , Loch Nell , Loch Scammadale , Loch Glashan , Loch Loskin , Loch Eck , Asgog Loch , Loch Tarsan , Càm Loch , Loch nan Torran , Loch Ciàran , Loch Garasdale , Lussa Loch and Tangy Loch . Note that islands lying off
9801-421: The magma ocean had crystallized, lower-density plagioclase minerals could form and float into a crust atop. The final liquids to crystallize would have been initially sandwiched between the crust and mantle, with a high abundance of incompatible and heat-producing elements. Consistent with this perspective, geochemical mapping made from orbit suggests a crust of mostly anorthosite . The Moon rock samples of
9922-524: The major loch inlets (north to south) are Loch Leven , Loch Creran , Loch Etive , Loch Feochan , Loch Melfort , Loch Craignish , Loch Crinan , Loch Sween , Loch Caolisport and West Loch Tarbert , the latter dividing Kintyre from Knapdale. To the east Loch Fyne separates Kintyre from the Cowal peninsula, which is itself split into three sub-peninsulas by Lochs Striven and Riddon and split on its east coast by Holy Loch and Loch Goil ; south across
10043-521: The mantle could be responsible for prolonged activities on the far side in the Orientale basin. The lighter-colored regions of the Moon are called terrae , or more commonly highlands , because they are higher than most maria. They have been radiometrically dated to having formed 4.4 billion years ago, and may represent plagioclase cumulates of the lunar magma ocean. In contrast to Earth, no major lunar mountains are believed to have formed as
10164-406: The mare. Another result of maria formation is the creation of concentric depressions along the edges, known as arcuate rilles . These features occur as the mare basalts sink inward under their own weight, causing the edges to fracture and separate. In addition to the visible maria, the Moon has mare deposits covered by ejecta from impacts. Called cryptomares, these hidden mares are likely older than
10285-417: The mooted locations for a proposed British-Irish bridge ; as the closest point to Ireland at first glance it appears to be the most obvious route, however Kintyre is hampered by its remoteness from the main centres of Scotland's population. Purge Moon The Moon is Earth 's only natural satellite . It orbits at an average distance of 384,400 km (238,900 mi), about 30 times
10406-496: The most important, if not the most important site in Britain". He clarified his hypothesis that it was a lunar observatory for predicting eclipses . A reassessment of this hypothesis was carried out by Jon Patrick from Melbourne University in 1979. His conclusion was: that there are reasonable grounds for doubting that the Kilmartin Stones were deliberately orientated on the occurrence of any type of astronomical phenomena, for
10527-516: The most impressive cup and ring decorated rock surfaces in Scotland". The purpose, and even the precise date, of cup and ring marks is uncertain. They are found on natural rock surfaces at Achnabreck, Cairnbaan , Ballygowan, and Baluachraig near Kilmichael Glassary . In May 2021, archaeologists announced the discovery of prehistoric ancient deer carvings thought to date to the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age inside Dunchraigaig Cairn. They are
10648-464: The name can also be translated as "coast of the Gaels". An alternative theory has more recently been advanced that the name may actually come from the early Irish kingdom of Airgíalla . The legal name of the county was Argyll, which was also used by the Royal Mail as the name of the postal county for the mainland (the islands formed their own postal counties). The Ordnance Survey adopted
10769-524: The near side of the Moon, and cover 31% of the surface of the near side compared with 2% of the far side. This is likely due to a concentration of heat-producing elements under the crust on the near side, which would have caused the underlying mantle to heat up, partially melt, rise to the surface and erupt. Most of the Moon's mare basalts erupted during the Imbrian period , 3.3–3.7 billion years ago, though some being as young as 1.2 billion years and as old as 4.2 billion years. In 2006,
10890-440: The near-side. Causes of the distribution of the lunar highlands on the far side are also not well understood. Topological measurements show the near side crust is thinner than the far side. One possible scenario then is that large impacts on the near side may have made it easier for lava to flow onto the surface. The Moon is a very slightly scalene ellipsoid due to tidal stretching, with its long axis displaced 30° from facing
11011-582: The north-east of the peninsula two unnamed sub-peninsulas almost encircle Kentra Bay , and are bound by the South Channel of Loch Moidart to the north; to the east of this lies the River Shiel and then Loch Shiel , a long loch which forms most of this section of the border with Inverness-shire. Morvern is a large peninsula and like its northern neighbour is remote, mountainous and sparsely populated. In its north-west Loch Teacuis cuts deeply into
11132-420: The part of Ardnamurchan in Inverness-shire became a new parish of Arisaig and Moidart , leaving the reduced Ardnamurchan parish wholly in Argyll, whilst the part of Kilmallie in Argyll became a new parish of Ardgour . Argyll was abolished as a county for local government purposes in 1975, with its area being split between Highland and Strathclyde Regions. A local government district called Argyll and Bute
11253-513: The part of the former Dál Riata territory on mainland Britain. The name distinguished the area from the Innse Gall , meaning 'islands of the foreigners' which was used for the Kingdom of the Isles, ruled by Old Norse -speaking Norse–Gaels . Argyll was divided into several lordships or provinces , including Kintyre , Knapdale , Lorn , Cowal , and a smaller Argyll province which covered
11374-404: The peninsula, as does Loch Aline in the south. At the estuary of Loch Teacuis lie the large islands of Oronsay , Risga and Càrna . There are numerous lochs in northern Argyll, the largest being Loch Doilet , Loch Arienas , Loch Teàrnait , Loch Doire nam Mart and Loch Mudle . The southern mainland section is much larger than the northern, and is dominated by the long Kintyre peninsula,
11495-432: The possibility of a much warmer lunar mantle than previously believed, at least on the near side where the deep crust is substantially warmer because of the greater concentration of radioactive elements. Evidence has been found for 2–10 million years old basaltic volcanism within the crater Lowell, inside the Orientale basin. Some combination of an initially hotter mantle and local enrichment of heat-producing elements in
11616-490: The possible burial place of a King. It was built between 2200 BC and 1950 BC, and was more recently used as a lime kiln. Three excavations took place at the site: By Reverend Mapleton (1870); Craw (1929); and V. Gordon Childe (1936). All traces of the lime kiln were removed following a reconstruction of the site. Nether Largie standing stones are located southeast of Temple Wood stone circle and are composed of four menhirs , arranged in pairs an approximately 70 metres apart, with
11737-856: The pre-1975 county was then included in the Argyll and Bute district of the Strathclyde region. The district created in 1975 excluded the Morvern and Ardnamurchan areas from the pre-1975 county, which were transferred to the Highland region , but included the Isle of Bute , which had not been in Argyll. Further reforms in 1996 abolished the Strathclyde region and made Argyll and Bute a single-tier council area instead. As part of those reforms, Argyll and Bute also gained an area around Helensburgh which had historically been in Dunbartonshire . The name
11858-587: The prefix seleno- (as in selenography , the study of the physical features of the Moon) come from this Greek word. Artemis , the Greek goddess of the wilderness and the hunt, came to also be identified as the goddess of the Moon ( Selene ) and was sometimes called Cynthia , after her birthplace on Mount Cynthus . Her Roman equivalent is Diana . The names Luna, Cynthia, and Selene are reflected in technical terms for lunar orbits such as apolune , pericynthion and selenocentric . The astronomical symbol for
11979-576: The provinces, and it was the shires which subsequently evolved into Scotland's counties rather than the older provinces. Following the Treaty of Perth, the Argyll provinces were initially placed in the shire of Perth . In 1293, two new shires were created within Argyll; the Sheriff of Kintyre , covering just that province, and the Sheriff of Lorn , covering Lorn, Knapdale, and Mid-Argyll (which probably included Cowal at that time). The earliest reference to
12100-436: The radius of the Moon. Its composition is not well understood, but is probably metallic iron alloyed with a small amount of sulfur and nickel; analyzes of the Moon's time-variable rotation suggest that it is at least partly molten. The pressure at the lunar core is estimated to be 5 GPa (49,000 atm). On average the Moon's surface gravity is 1.62 m/s ( 0.1654 g ; 5.318 ft/s ), about half of
12221-471: The regolith because of the Moon's gravity or are lost to space, either through solar radiation pressure or, if they are ionized, by being swept away by the solar wind's magnetic field. Studies of Moon magma samples retrieved by the Apollo missions demonstrate that the Moon had once possessed a relatively thick atmosphere for a period of 70 million years between 3 and 4 billion years ago. This atmosphere, sourced from gases ejected from lunar volcanic eruptions,
12342-526: The remains of a Bronze Age cists cemetery, the remains of two round houses from the Iron Age , the first certain Iron Age roundhouses to have been discovered by excavation in Argyll, and a standing stone of a fairly recent date, the 19th century. The archaeological materials were examined shortly after the excavation but has since been reexamined in the 2000s and that has led to different interpretations of
12463-556: The rest of the recently unified Great Britain , and the English term "county" came to be used interchangeably with the term "shire". In 1890, elected county councils were created under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 . The 1889 Act also led to parish and county boundaries being adjusted to eliminate cases where parishes straddled county boundaries. The parish of Small Isles straddled Argyll and Inverness-shire, with
12584-531: The shire of Argyll. The act also confirmed the town of Inveraray's position as "head burgh" of the enlarged shire. In 1667, Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as the main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890. David II had restored MacDougall authority over Lorn in 1357, but John MacDougall (head of the MacDougalls) had already renounced claims to Mull (in 1354) in favour of
12705-463: The site. Stone tools that were originally thought to be from the Mesolithic period, ending 3000 BC, are now believed to be from the neolithic or Bronze Age, but not related to the cist burials. Two medieval glass beads were found that have similar chemical compositions to those found at Dunadd , leading the archaeologists to believe the site was associated with Dunadd. In 2007, Kilmartin Glen
12826-516: The south of the glen, on the edge of the Moine Mhòr ("Great Moss"). Kilmartin Museum is located within the village itself and inspires and educates people by interpreting, explaining and conserving the internationally important archaeological landscape, artefacts, and natural heritage of Kilmartin Glen. The most visible feature of the Kilmartin Glen is the linear arrangement of cairns, running over three miles (five kilometres) south-by-southwest of
12947-460: The surface gravity of Mars and about a sixth of Earth's. The Moon's gravitational field is not uniform. The details of the gravitational field have been measured through tracking the Doppler shift of radio signals emitted by orbiting spacecraft. The main lunar gravity features are mascons , large positive gravitational anomalies associated with some of the giant impact basins, partly caused by
13068-532: The towns which had been suggested at that first meeting. The council also appointed a clerk who was based in Lochgilphead at its first meeting, beginning the practice of having the council's main offices in that town. The clerk's offices were initially at the County Offices which formed part of Lochgilphead's courthouse and police station on Lochnell Street, which had been built in 1849. In 1925
13189-522: The village. There are five remaining cairns in the alignment, although cropmarks and other traces suggest that there may originally have been more. The burial cairns are of Bronze Age origin, with the exception of Nether Largie South cairn, which is a Stone Age structure, rebuilt in the Bronze Age. The most northerly cairn, Glebe is situated immediately to the west of Kilmartin Village. The cairn
13310-469: The west coast are generally considered to be part of the Inner Hebrides (see below) Argyll contains the majority of the Inner Hebrides group, with the notable exceptions of Skye and Eigg (both in Inverness-shire). The islands are too geographically diverse to be summarised here; further details can be found on the individual pages below. Starting in 1590, as one of the measures that followed
13431-446: The winter solstice in the north polar crater Hermite . This is the coldest temperature in the Solar System ever measured by a spacecraft, colder even than the surface of Pluto . Blanketed on top of the Moon's crust is a highly comminuted (broken into ever smaller particles) and impact gardened mostly gray surface layer called regolith , formed by impact processes. The finer regolith, the lunar soil of silicon dioxide glass, has
13552-519: Was added to the shire of Kintyre which then became known as Tarbertshire , being initially administered from Tarbert . The Scottish Reformation coincidentally followed the fall of the Lordship of the Isles. The MacDonalds (the clan of the former Lords of the Isles) were strong supporters of the former religious regime. The Campbells, by contrast, were strong supporters of the reforms. At the start of
13673-465: Was created, with a change in boundaries to include part of the former Strathclyde district of Dumbarton . The historic county boundaries of Argyll are still used for some limited official purposes connected with land registration, being a registration county . Argyll County Council held its first meeting at the courthouse in Inveraray on 22 May 1890, when over three hours were spent debating where
13794-424: Was excavated in 1864 by the antiquary Canon William Greenwell , and two concentric stone circles were found beneath the stones. At the centre were two cist burials, and finds recovered included a jet necklace and a decorated bowl. This cairn was first excavated in 1929, shortly after much of the stone had been reused in roadbuilding. It is around 30m across, and was formerly 3m in height. Kerbstones, which formed
13915-495: Was formed in the Strathclyde region , including most of Argyll and the adjacent Isle of Bute (the former County of Bute was more extensive). The Ardnamurchan , Ardgour , Ballachulish , Duror, Glencoe , Kinlochleven , and Morvern areas of Argyll were detached to become parts of Lochaber District, in Highland. They remained in Highland following the 1996 revision. In 1996, a new unitary council area of Argyll and Bute
14036-457: Was gradually extended; from 1633 the shire covered all these five provinces. Shires gradually eclipsed the old provinces in administrative importance, and also became known as counties. Between 1890 and 1975, Argyll had a county council . The county town was historically Inveraray , but from its creation in 1890 the county council was based at Lochgilphead . The county is sparsely populated, with many islands and sea lochs along its coast, and
14157-478: Was hereditary, and when Ferchar mac in tSagairt , son of the abbot, became the Earl of Ross in the 13th century, the region of North Argyll gradually became known as Wester Ross instead. Alba evolved into the kingdom of Scotland, but lost control of Kintyre, Knapdale and Lorn to Norwegian rule, as was acknowledged in a treaty of 1098 between Edgar, King of Scotland and Magnus Barefoot , King of Norway . In 1266,
14278-424: Was initially in hydrostatic equilibrium but has since departed from this condition. It has a geochemically distinct crust , mantle , and core . The Moon has a solid iron-rich inner core with a radius possibly as small as 240 kilometres (150 mi) and a fluid outer core primarily made of liquid iron with a radius of roughly 300 kilometres (190 mi). Around the core is a partially molten boundary layer with
14399-495: Was instructed by the privy council to seize Mull, and suppress the non-conformist behaviour ; by 1680 he gained possession of the island, and transferred shrieval authority to the sheriff of Argyll. In 1746, following Jacobite insurrections, the Heritable Jurisdictions Act abolished regality , and forbade the position of sheriff from being inherited. Local governance was brought into line with that of
14520-549: Was the setting for Half Life , a piece of landscape art and performance created by the Scottish theatre company NVA in collaboration with the National Theatre of Scotland . 56°8′1″N 5°29′13″W / 56.13361°N 5.48694°W / 56.13361; -5.48694 Argyll Argyll ( / ɑːr ˈ ɡ aɪ l / ; archaically Argyle ; Scottish Gaelic : Earra-Ghàidheal , pronounced [ˈaːrˠəɣɛːəl̪ˠ] ), sometimes called Argyllshire ,
14641-401: Was twice the thickness of that of present-day Mars . The ancient lunar atmosphere was eventually stripped away by solar winds and dissipated into space. A permanent Moon dust cloud exists around the Moon, generated by small particles from comets. Estimates are 5 tons of comet particles strike the Moon's surface every 24 hours, resulting in the ejection of dust particles. The dust stays above
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