Lunar surface materials are classed into units on the basis of visual observations and data from telescopic and Lunar Orbiter photographs. Each unit has a distinctive range of physical characteristics, such as topography and albedo (reflectivity under full-Moon illumination), and is considered analogous to a terrestrial rock-stratigraphic formation. These characteristics rather than lithologic properties must, of necessity, suffice to define the units; however, the morphologic nature of most mappable units on the Moon, is, of itself, suggestive of a certain lithologic composition, based on analogous terranes on Earth.