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On the northwestern of the large northwestern lunar sea of Mare Imbrium is the vast bay of Sinus Iridum, the Bay of Rainbows. Originally the result of an ancient impact on the Moon's surface, the bay forms a circular bight some 250 km across, cutting into both the floor of the sea and the mountains of Montes Jura that form its northwestern edge. As a result of this formation, the mountains at the edges of Sinus Iridum, stretch out in broad promontories into the floor of Mare Imbrium.
Promontorium Laplace is the northern and eastern of these two promontories or capes. It consists of steep cliffs on its western side, representing the old crater wall from the impact that created Sinus Iridum, while its heights taper down into the larger sea of Mare Imbrium on the east. The mountains of the promontory surround a single notable crater, Laplace D, in their eastern heights, and end in a narrow peak before descending to the sea's floor. That flat floor stretches almost unbroken across the mouth of the bay, except for one small crater designated Laplace A. On the opposite, southern side of the mouth of the Bay of Rainbows is another cape, less rugged or pronounced than Promontorium Laplace, named Promontorium Heraclides.
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