List of geological features on Mercury

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List of geological features on Mercury is an itemization of mountains, valleys, craters and other landform features of the planet Mercury. Different types of features 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.

See also list of craters on Mercury, list of albedo features on Mercury, and list of quadrangles on Mercury

Longitude is west longitude.

List of geological features on Mercury

FeatureLatitudeLongitudeNamed after
Mountains
Caloris Montes 39.4187.2Latin for 'mountains of heat'
Ridges
Antoniadi Dorsum 25.130.5 Eugène Antoniadi
Schiaparelli Dorsum 23164.1 Giovanni Schiaparelli
Fossae
Borobudur Fossae -32.77271.5 Borobudur
Pantheon Fossae 30.19197.17 The Pantheon, Rome
Valleys
Angkor Vallis 57.3246.0 Angkor, ancient city in Cambodia
Cahokia Vallis 65.6233.1 Cahokia Mounds, ancient city in Illinois, United States
Caral Vallis 62.6230.6 Caral, ancient city in Peru
Paestum Vallis 60.5233.5 Paestum, ancient city in Campania, Italy
Timgad Vallis 60.8243.1 Timgad, ancient city in Algeria
Plain
Apārangi Planitia 6.7289.38 Māori word for Mercury
Borealis Planitia 73.479.5Latin for 'northern plain'
Budh Planitia 22150.9 Hindu word for Mercury
Caloris Planitia 30.5189.8Latin for 'plain of heat'
Catuilla Planum -8.78245.78 Quechua word for Mercury
Lugus Planitia -6.2498.66 Gaulish equivalent of the Roman god Mercury
Mearcair Planitia 31.4227.9 Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for Mercury
Odin Planitia 23.3171.6Norse god Odin
Otaared Planitia 18.26337.61 Arabic word for Mercury
Papsukkal Planitia -16.25271.63 Akkadian messenger god
Sihtu Planitia -2.8255.57 Babylonian word for the planet Mercury
Sobkou Planitia 39.9129.9Messenger god
Stilbon Planitia 57.54209.61 Ancient Greek word for Mercury
Suisei Planitia 59.2150.8 Japanese for Mercury
Tir Planitia 0.8176.1 Persian for Mercury
Turms Planitia -31.05350.81 Etruscan messenger god equivalent of Roman god Mercury
Utaridi Planitia -65.5270.17 Swahili name for Mercury
Escarpments
Acadia Rupes8.17329.00 CSS Acadia , Canadian hydrographic survey and oceanographic research vessel
Adventure Rupes -65.165.5 HMS Adventure, ship of Captain Cook
Altair Rupes -70.48186.49Altair, Mexican research vessel
Alvin Rupes 8.3208.6 DSV Alvin, American deep-ocean research submersible
Antares Rupes18.06229.42Antares, Mexican oceanographic research vessel
Arquipelago Rupes7.36229.31Arquipelago, Portuguese coastal research vessel [1]
Astrolabe Rupes -42.670.7 Astrolabe, ship of Jules Dumont d'Urville
Beagle Rupes -1.9258.89 HMS Beagle, ship on which Charles Darwin sailed
Belgica Rupes -50.5296.3 Belgica , Belgian ship that was the first to winter in the Antarctic
Blossom Rupes -3.0270.2 HMS Blossom, English ship that explored the Northwest Passage under Frederick William Beechey
Calypso Rupes 19.5316.5 RV Calypso, oceanographic research vessel of Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Carnegie Rupes 58.553.3 Carnegie , research vessel used for magnetic surveys
Challenger Rupes -12.58109.92 Challenger , survey ship used to undertake the first global marine research expedition
Discovery Rupes -56.338.3 HMS Discovery, ship of Captain Cook
Duyfken Rupes -21.4131.8 Duyfken , ship of Willem Janszoon
Eltanin Rupes -74.8269.2 USNS Eltanin, American icebreaker and Antarctic research vessel
Endeavour Rupes 37.531.3 HM Bark Endeavour, ship of Captain Cook
Enterprise Rupes -36.5283.5 USS Enterprise, American ship that explored the Mississippi, Amazon, and Madeira Rivers
Fram Rupes -56.993.3 Fram , ship of Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen
Gjöa Rupes -66.7159.3 Gjøa , ship of Roald Amundsen
Heemskerck Rupes 25.9125.3Ship of Abel Tasman
Hero Rupes -58.4171.4 Hero , ship of Nathaniel Palmer
Kainan Rupes -29.8330.8 Kainan Maru , Japanese ship of Nobu Shirase Antarctic exploration
La Duaphine Rupes 66.326.6Ship of Giovanni da Verrazzano
Mirni Rupes -37.339.9 Mirny , ship of Mikhail Lazarev
Nautilus Rupes -28.2293.3 EV Nautilus, research vessel operated by Robert Ballard
Palmer Rupes -26.3106.6 Nathaniel B. Palmer , American icebreaker and Antarctic research vessel operated
Paramour Rupes -0.1212.5 HMS Paramour English research vessel commanded by Edmond Halley
Pelagia Rupes15.33218.59 RV Pelagia Dutch research and survey vessel
Pourquoi-Pas Rupes -58.1156 Pourquoi Pas? IV , ship of Jean-Baptiste Charcot
Resolution Rupes -63.851.7 HMS Resolution, ship of Captain Cook
Santa María Rupes 5.519.7 Santa María , ship of Christopher Columbus
Terror Rupes -72.1275.7 HMS Terror, English ship of Arctic and Antarctic exploration
Unity Rupes 27.1275.1Unity, English ship on which Edmond Halley sailed to Saint Helena
Vejas Rupes35.71162.25Vejas, Lithuanian research vessel
Victoria Rupes 50.931.1 Victoria , ship of Ferdinand Magellan
Vostok Rupes -37.719.5 Vostok , ship of Fabian von Bellingshausen
Zapiola Rupes 44.0272.36Argentinian ship involved in oceanographic surveys in Southwestern Atlantic
Zarya Rupes -42.820.5 Zarya , a Soviet experimental schooner
Zeehaen Rupes 51157Ship of Abel Tasman
Crater Chains
Arecibo Catena -27.528.4 Arecibo Observatory
Goldstone Catena -15.831.7 Goldstone Observatory
Haystack Catena 4.746.2 Haystack Observatory
Faculae
Abeeso Facula 21.7214.6 Somali word for snake
Agwo Facula 22.4213.7 Igbo word for snake
Amaru Facula -49.8349.5 Quechuan word for snake
Bibilava Faculae16.4202.8 Malagasy word for snake
Bitin Facula-51.5528.45 Cebuano word for snake
Ejo Faculae14.5200.5 Yoruba word for snake
Gata Facula -2.9321.4 Fijian and Samoan word for snake
Havu Facula-52.2228.45 Kannada word for snake
Ibab Facula14.5199.2 Amharic word for snake
Inyoka Faculae14.0197.7 Zulu and Xhosa word for snake
Maciji Facula14.9196.0 Hausa word for snake
Nākahi Facula -52.7342.2 Maori word for snake
Nathair Facula 36.0295.5 Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for snake
Neidr Facula 35.9302.7 Welsh word for snake
Nzoka Facula15.4194.7 Kamba word for snake
Orm Faculae26.5859.68 Swedish word for snake
Pampu Facula -57.7631.79 Tamil word for snake
Sarpa Facula -53.0730.87 Sinhalese word for snake
Slang Faculae 24.5179.3 Afrikaans word for snake
Suge Facula 26.1300.4 Basque word for snake
Thueban Facula48.7200.5 Arabic word for snake
Ular Facula -55.129.95 Malay word for snake
Yinshe Facula -46.32 °191.22 Chinese word for silver snake
Zmija Facula -37.35267.75 Serbian word for snake

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References

  1. "Arquipelago Rupes". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. IAU/NASA/USGS . Retrieved 7 March 2024.