Goethe is bounded on its north and east sides by a gently sloping wall and discontinuous, low, hummocky rim material that may consist of ejecta deposits.

[5] On its west side, Goethe is bounded by at least three subparallel ridges or tilted blocks, which are separated by narrow troughs partly filled with smooth plains material.

A narrow, concentric structural bench, in part resurfaced by smooth plains material, is recognizable at the base of a gently sloping and much degraded basin wall.

The outlines of the rim crests of several adjacent craters are recognizable through the smooth plains material that partly fills the Goethe Basin.

These ghost craters and the original intercrater plains material they characterize are younger than the Goethe Basin, as they were not obliterated by the impact that formed it.