Final answer:
The Moon's highland areas have low, rounded profiles unlike sharp mountain ranges on Earth, due to lack of erosional forces like wind and water. These ancient, heavily cratered regions formed early in lunar history and can be observed with amateur telescopes, revealing details such as craters and mountains.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Moon has highland areas that are akin to the mountains found on Earth. However, unlike Earth's mountains, the lunar highlands have a distinctive appearance due to the lack of an atmosphere and water on the Moon, resulting in no wind, water, or ice erosion. The highlands have rounded profiles and their smooth features come from a gradual erosion process mostly caused by impact cratering from meteorites. These regions make up a significant portion of the Moon's surface, accounting for about 83% of it, and are several kilometers higher than the darker, less cratered areas known as the maria.
The highlands of the Moon were formed early in its history, between 4.1 and 4.4 billion years ago. They are composed of relatively low-density rock that solidified as the Moon cooled down. Due to their ancient origin, these highlands are heavily cratered, bearing the marks of billions of years of impacts. Observing the Moon's highlands is possible with high-powered binoculars or a small telescope, as even amateur equipment is capable of showing the Moon's topography, including craters and mountains, in detail.