It lies in the southwestern part of the larger crater Richardson.

The surviving outer rim of Maxwell is generally uneven and ill-defined where it overlies Richardson.

The interior floor is relatively level and displays patches of low-albedo material, usually an indication of basaltic lava, possibly from impact melt.

However the floor is dusted with material from the ray system of Giordano Bruno, located to the north-northeast, which has lightened the surface.

The southern part of the interior floor is overlain by the outer rampart of Lomonosov.