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
| 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 |
| Plain | |||
| 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 |
| 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 | 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 | 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? IV, 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 |
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
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