Which moon orbiting Uranus features the most rugged, chaotic topography known in the Solar System, including Verona Rupes, the tallest cliff face in the Solar System at roughly 20 km high?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Miranda
- Step 1: Miranda is the smallest and innermost of Uranus's five round satellites, with a diameter of roughly 470 kilometers.
- Step 2: Images from Voyager 2 in 1986 revealed an astonishing patchwork of ridged coronae, faults, and Verona Rupes, a sheer vertical scarp rising up to 20 kilometers.
Answer
Miranda
Why not the others: 'Titania' Titania is the largest moon of Uranus, featuring deep fault valleys (grabens) like Messina Chasma, but not Verona Rupes; 'Oberon' Oberon is the outermost major moon of Uranus, characterized by old, heavily cratered terrain; 'Ariel' Ariel has smooth plains and rift systems, but lacks Miranda's extreme corona fault blocks and 20-km cliff.
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