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The term lunar swirl is used for swirly-shaped high-albedo regions on the surface of the Moon, ranging from on the order of 100-1000 km in length. They appear unrelated to the underlying landforms, as if due to something on top of them. They are associated with pockets of magnetism (magnetic anomalies) on the surface. There are various theories as to their origin. An explanation for the high albedo is that the associated magnetic field shields the region from some weathering by the solar wind.