List of quadrangles on Mercury

The surface of the planet Mercury has been divided into fifteen quadrangles, designated H-1 to H-15 (the 'H' stands for Hermes, the Greek equivalent of Mercury). ^[1] The quadrangles are named for prominent surface features visible within each area. ^[1] The quadrangles were initially named for albedo features, as these were the most prominent features visible before mapping was carried out by spacecraft. The mapping carried out with the images obtained by the Mariner 10 flybys in 1974 and 1975 led to nine of the quadrangles being renamed for newly mapped prominent features. ^[1] The remaining six quadrangles were completely unmapped by Mariner 10 and were still referred to by their albedo feature names. Following the arrival of MESSENGER in orbit in 2011, these six quadrangles were mapped and renamed. ^[2] The base mosaic used in the new maps was produced with orbital images by the MESSENGER Team and released by NASA’s Planetary Data System on March 8, 2013. This global mosaic includes complete coverage of Mercury’s surface.

Name [3]	Number	Namesake	Albedo feature name [4]	Area [5]	Mariner 10 map	Current map [3]	Notes
Borealis	H-1	Borealis Planitia [6]	Borea	North pole to 67° latitude			Provisionally called "Goethe", but renamed by the International Astronomical Union in 1976 (IAU, 1977) [5]
Victoria	H-2	Victoria Rupes	Aurora	0 to 90° longitude, 21 to 66° latitude
Shakespeare	H-3	Shakespeare crater	Caduceata	90 to 180° longitude, 21 to 66° latitude
Raditladi	H-4	Raditladi crater	Liguria	270 to 180° longitude, 21 to 66° latitude	none
Hokusai	H-5	Hokusai crater	Apollonia	360 to 270° longitude, 21 to 66° latitude	none
Kuiper	H-6	Kuiper crater	Tricrena	0 to 72° longitude, −22 to 22° latitude
Beethoven	H-7	Beethoven crater	Solitudo Lycaonis	72 to 144° longitude, −22 to 22° latitude
Tolstoj	H-8	Tolstoj crater	Phaethontias	144 to 216° longitude, −22 to 22° latitude			Provisionally called "Tir", but renamed by the International Astronomical Union in 1976 (IAU, 1977) [5]
Eminescu	H-9	Eminescu crater	Solitudo Criophori	216 to 288° longitude, −22 to 22° latitude	none
Derain	H-10	Derain crater	Pieria	288 to 360° longitude, −22 to 22° latitude	none
Discovery	H-11	Discovery Rupes [6]	Solitudo Hermae Trismegisti	0 to 90° longitude, −21 to −66° latitude
Michelangelo	H-12	Michelangelo crater	Solitudo Promethei	90 to 180° longitude, −21 to −66° latitude
Neruda	H-13	Neruda crater	Solitudo Persephones	180 to 270° longitude, −21 to −66° latitude	none
Debussy	H-14	Debussy crater	Cyllene	270 to 360° longitude, −21 to −66° latitude	none
Bach	H-15	Bach crater	Australia	South pole to −67° latitude

Schema of the quadrangles

Relationship of the quadrangles to each other on the surface of Mercury: ^[5]

See also

• List of quadrangles on Venus
• List of quadrangles on the Moon
• List of quadrangles on Mars

References

1. Strom, Robert G.; Sprague, Ann L. (2003). Exploring Mercury: The Iron Planet . p.  79. ISBN   9781852337315.
2. "IAU Information Bulletin" (PDF) (108). International Astronomical Union. July 2011: 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-08. Retrieved 2013-09-19.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
3. "1:5 Million-Scale Maps of Mercury". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature (USGS/IAU/NASA). Archived from the original on 2013-02-17. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
4. "SP-423 Atlas of Mercury". NASA. p. 21. Archived from the original on 2011-01-04. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
5. Schaber, Gerald G.; John F. McCauley (1980). Geologic Map of the Tolstoj (H-8) Quadrangle of Mercury (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I–1199, as part of the Atlas of Mercury, 1:5,000,000 Geologic Series. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
6. "SP-423 Atlas of Mercury". NASA. Archived from the original on 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2007-11-12.