List of geological features on Mercury
Different types of geological features on the planet Mercury are named after different things: Mercurian ridges are called dorsa, and are named after astronomers who made detailed studies of the planet; valleys are called valles, and are named after ancient abandoned cities, towns, and settlements; crater chains are called catenae and are named after radio telescope facilities; plains are called planitiae, and most are named after mythological names associated with Mercury; escarpments are called rupes and are named after the ships of famous explorers; long, narrow depressions are called fossae and are named after works of architecture; bright spots are called faculae and are named after the word 'snake' in various languages.
Longitude is west longitude.
List of geological features on Mercury
| Feature | Latitude | Longitude | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountains | |||
| Caloris Montes | 39.4 | 187.2 | Latin for 'mountains of heat' |
| Ridges | |||
| Antoniadi Dorsum | 25.1 | 30.5 | Eugène Antoniadi |
| Schiaparelli Dorsum | 23 | 164.1 | Giovanni Schiaparelli |
| Fossae | |||
| Borobudur Fossae | −32.77 | 271.5 | Borobudur |
| Pantheon Fossae | 30.19 | 197.17 | The Pantheon, Rome |
| Valleys | |||
| Angkor Vallis | 57.3 | 246.0 | Angkor, ancient city in Cambodia |
| Cahokia Vallis | 65.6 | 233.1 | Cahokia Mounds, ancient city in Illinois, United States |
| Caral Vallis | 62.6 | 230.6 | Caral, ancient city in Peru |
| Paestum Vallis | 60.5 | 233.5 | Paestum, ancient city in Campania, Italy |
| Timgad Vallis | 60.8 | 243.1 | Timgad, ancient city in Algeria |
| Plains | |||
| Apārangi Planitia | 6.7 | 289.38 | Māori word for Mercury |
| Borealis Planitia | 73.4 | 79.5 | Latin for 'northern plain' |
| Budh Planitia | 22 | 150.9 | Hindu word for Mercury |
| Caloris Planitia | 30.5 | 189.8 | Latin for 'plain of heat' |
| Catuilla Planum | −8.78 | 245.78 | Quechua word for Mercury |
| Lugus Planitia | −6.24 | 98.66 | Gaulish equivalent of the Roman god Mercury |
| Mearcair Planitia | 31.4 | 227.9 | Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for Mercury |
| Odin Planitia | 23.3 | 171.6 | Norse god Odin |
| Otaared Planitia | 18.26 | 337.61 | Arabic word for Mercury |
| Papsukkal Planitia | −16.25 | 271.63 | Akkadian messenger god |
| Sihtu Planitia | −2.82 | 55.57 | Babylonian word for the planet Mercury |
| Sobkou Planitia | 39.9 | 129.9 | Messenger god |
| Stilbon Planitia | 57.54 | 209.61 | Ancient Greek word for Mercury |
| Suisei Planitia | 59.2 | 150.8 | Japanese for Mercury |
| Tir Planitia | 0.8 | 176.1 | Persian for Mercury |
| Turms Planitia | −31.05 | 350.81 | Etruscan messenger god equivalent of Roman god Mercury |
| Utaridi Planitia | −65.5 | 270.17 | Swahili name for Mercury |
| Escarpments | |||
| Acadia Rupes | 8.17 | 329.00 | CSS Acadia, Canadian hydrographic survey and oceanographic research vessel |
| Adventure Rupes | −65.1 | 65.5 | HMS Adventure, ship of Captain Cook |
| Altair Rupes | −70.48 | 186.49 | Altair, Mexican research vessel |
| Alvin Rupes | 8.3 | 208.6 | DSV Alvin, American deep-ocean research submersible |
| Antares Rupes | 18.06 | 229.42 | Antares, Mexican oceanographic research vessel |
| Arquipelago Rupes | 7.36 | 229.31 | Arquipelago, Portuguese coastal research vessel[1] |
| Astrolabe Rupes | −42.6 | 70.7 | Astrolabe, ship of Jules Dumont d'Urville |
| Beagle Rupes | −1.9 | 258.89 | HMS Beagle, ship on which Charles Darwin sailed |
| Belgica Rupes | −50.5 | 296.3 | RV Belgica, Belgian ship that was the first to winter in the Antarctic |
| Blossom Rupes | −3.0 | 270.2 | HMS Blossom, English ship that explored the Northwest Passage under Frederick William Beechey |
| Calypso Rupes | 19.5 | 316.5 | RV Calypso, oceanographic research vessel of Jacques-Yves Cousteau |
| Carnegie Rupes | 58.5 | 53.3 | Carnegie, research vessel used for magnetic surveys |
| Challenger Rupes | −12.58 | 109.92 | HMS Challenger, survey ship used to undertake the first global marine research expedition |
| Discovery Rupes | −56.3 | 38.3 | HMS Discovery, ship of Captain Cook |
| Duyfken Rupes | −21.4 | 131.8 | Duyfken, ship of Willem Janszoon |
| Eltanin Rupes | −74.8 | 269.2 | USNS Eltanin, American icebreaker and Antarctic research vessel |
| Endeavour Rupes | 37.5 | 31.3 | HM Bark Endeavour, ship of Captain Cook |
| Enterprise Rupes | −36.5 | 283.5 | USS Enterprise, American ship that explored the Mississippi, Amazon, and Madeira Rivers |
| Fram Rupes | −56.9 | 93.3 | Fram, ship of Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen |
| Gjöa Rupes | −66.7 | 159.3 | Gjøa, ship of Roald Amundsen |
| Heemskerck Rupes | 25.9 | 125.3 | Ship of Abel Tasman |
| Hero Rupes | −58.4 | 171.4 | Hero, ship of Nathaniel Palmer |
| Kainan Rupes | −29.8 | 330.8 | Kainan Maru, Japanese ship of Nobu Shirase Antarctic exploration |
| La Duaphine Rupes | 66.3 | 26.6 | Ship of Giovanni da Verrazzano |
| Mirni Rupes | −37.3 | 39.9 | Mirny, ship of Mikhail Lazarev |
| Nautilus Rupes | −28.2 | 293.3 | EV Nautilus, research vessel operated by Robert Ballard |
| Palmer Rupes | −26.3 | 106.6 | Nathaniel B. Palmer, American icebreaker and Antarctic research vessel operated |
| Paramour Rupes | −0.1 | 212.5 | HMS Paramour, English research vessel commanded by Edmond Halley |
| Pelagia Rupes | 15.33 | 218.59 | RV Pelagia, Dutch research and survey vessel |
| Pourquoi-Pas Rupes | −58.1 | 156 | Pourquoi-Pas, ship of Jean-Baptiste Charcot |
| Resolution Rupes | −63.8 | 51.7 | HMS Resolution, ship of Captain Cook |
| Santa María Rupes | 5.5 | 19.7 | Santa María, ship of Christopher Columbus |
| Terror Rupes | −72.1 | 275.7 | HMS Terror, English ship of Arctic and Antarctic exploration |
| Unity Rupes | 27.1 | 275.1 | Unity, English ship on which Edmond Halley sailed to Saint Helena |
| Vejas Rupes | 35.71 | 162.25 | Vejas, Lithuanian research vessel |
| Victoria Rupes | 50.9 | 31.1 | Victoria, ship of Ferdinand Magellan |
| Vostok Rupes | −37.7 | 19.5 | Vostok, ship of Fabian von Bellingshausen |
| Zapiola Rupes | 44.02 | 72.36 | Argentinian ship involved in oceanographic surveys in Southwestern Atlantic |
| Zarya Rupes | −42.8 | 20.5 | Zarya, a Soviet experimental schooner |
| Zeehaen Rupes | 51 | 157 | Ship of Abel Tasman |
| Crater chains | |||
| Arecibo Catena | −27.5 | 28.4 | Arecibo Observatory |
| Goldstone Catena | −15.8 | 31.7 | Goldstone Observatory |
| Haystack Catena | 4.7 | 46.2 | Haystack Observatory |
| Faculae | |||
| Abeeso Facula | 21.7 | 214.6 | Somali word for snake |
| Agwo Facula | 22.4 | 213.7 | Igbo word for snake |
| Amaru Facula | −49.8 | 349.5 | Quechuan word for snake |
| Bibilava Faculae | 16.4 | 202.8 | Malagasy word for snake |
| Bitin Facula | −51.55 | 28.45 | Cebuano word for snake |
| Ejo Faculae | 14.5 | 200.5 | Yoruba word for snake |
| Gata Facula | −2.9 | 321.4 | Fijian and Samoan word for snake |
| Havu Facula | −52.22 | 28.45 | Kannada word for snake |
| Ibab Facula | 14.5 | 199.2 | Amharic word for snake |
| Inyoka Faculae | 14.0 | 197.7 | Zulu and Xhosa word for snake |
| Maciji Facula | 14.9 | 196.0 | Hausa word for snake |
| Nākahi Facula | −52.7 | 342.2 | Maori word for snake |
| Nathair Facula | 36.0 | 295.5 | Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for snake |
| Neidr Facula | 35.9 | 302.7 | Welsh word for snake |
| Nzoka Facula | 15.4 | 194.7 | Kamba word for snake |
| Orm Faculae | 26.58 | 59.68 | Swedish word for snake |
| Pampu Facula | −57.76 | 31.79 | Tamil word for snake |
| Sarpa Facula | −53.07 | 30.87 | Sinhalese word for snake |
| Slang Faculae | 24.5 | 179.3 | Afrikaans word for snake |
| Suge Facula | 26.1 | 300.4 | Basque word for snake |
| Thueban Facula | 48.7 | 200.5 | Arabic word for snake |
| Ular Facula | −55.1 | 29.95 | Malay word for snake |
| Yinshe Facula | −46.32 | 191.22 | Chinese word for silver snake |
| Zmija Facula | −37.35 | 267.75 | Serbian word for snake |
See also
References
- ^ "Arquipelago Rupes". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. IAU/NASA/USGS. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- Batson R.M., Russell J.F. (1994), Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, United States Geological Survey Bulletin 2129 [1]
