C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

Geography 441/541S/15

Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Naming Conventions– The International Astronomical Union (IAU) governs

planetary nomenclature• New features identified, tentatively named, and the IAU peer-

reviews the name for all planets• Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature• Once approved, names go into the Gazetteer of Planetary

Nomenclature• This is housed at the USGS Astrogeology Research

Program: http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Naming Conventions– Mars Features: Conventions for Naming Features

Albedo Features: Names from classical mythology originally assigned by Schiaparelli and Antoniadi

Large craters (craters > ~60 km): Dead scientists who contributed to the study of Mars; writers and others who added to the lore of Mars

Small craters (craters < ~60 km): Villages and towns on Earth having populations < 100,000

Large valles: Name for "Mars" or "star" in various languages

Small valles: Classical or modern names of rivers

Other features: From a nearby named albedo feature on Schiaparelli or Antoniadi maps

Deimos: Authors who wrote about Martian satellites

Phobos: Scientists involved with the study of the Martian satellites, and characters and places from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars: A Whole New Vocabulary!– Why?!?

_ Familiar geographical and geological terms are generally too misleading to use in an environment we can’t visit and understand in its own context

_ Calling something a “valley” implies the kind of fluvial and glacial erosion responsible for valleys here

_ Analogies may not apply, at least not yet

_ To avoid that temptation to analogies, the IAU has created a formal vocabulary to use in extraterrestrial contexts

_ We have to understand Mars (or any other extraterrestrial object) in its own terms and context

Sorry!

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Vastitas (vastitates) : An extensive, vast plain

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Planum (plana) : A plateau or high plain

• Meridiani Planum seen from Opportunity’s Pancam

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Planitia (planitiæ) : A low-lying plain or lowland

• Elysium Planitia

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Terra (terræ) : An extensive land mass

• Arabia Terra

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Chaos: an area of broken or blocky terrain

• Aram Chaos

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature• Mars Features

– Cavus (cavi): a hollow or irregular, steep sided depression, often in clusters • Sysiphi Cavi (South Polar Layered Terrain)

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature• Mars Features

– Chasma (chasmata): a deep, elongated, steep-sided depression • Ganges Chasma (eastern end of Valles Marineris system)

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Vallis (valles): a valley or canyon

• Ma’adim Vallis (Viking image)• (and Gusev Crater, where Spirit

landed)

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Fossa (fossæ): a long, narrow depression

• Claritas Fossæ, in Solis Planum, taken by HRSC on Mars Express

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Labes: landslide

• Valles Marineris

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Labyrinthus (labyrinthi): complex of intersecting valleys or ridges

• Noctis Labyrinthus map (west of Valles Marineris, east of Pavonis Mons)

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Sulcus (sulci): parallel or sub-parallel furrows and ridges

• Amazonis Sulci, east of Elysium, Mars Express

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Dorsum (dorsa): a ridge

• Dorsum Gordii, Medusa Fossæ area west of Tharsis, THEMIS IR image to left

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Crater: a circular

depression or impact feature _ Crater with ice in Vastitas

Borealis, Mars Express_ Hellas, MOLA_ Phobos, Stickney Crater

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature• Mars Features

– Catena (catenæ): a line or chain of craters or subsidence pits• Coprates Catenæ: impacts or subsidence pitting?

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Mensa (mensæ): mesa or

flat-topped prominence with steep sides• Ausonia Mensa in

southwest Hesperia Planum

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Lingula (lingulæ): extension of plateau having rounded lobate

boundaries • Australe Lingulæ

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Rupes: scarp

• Cerberus Rupes, MOC

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Scopulus (scopuli): a

lobate or irregular scarp• Not sure where I got this

one or where it is

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature• Mars Features

– Colles: small hills or knobs• Ariadnes Colles in Cimmeria, MOC, possibly eroded remnants of

deposits on crater floor

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Tholus, tholi: small conical mountain or hill

• Uranius Tholus, Tharsis, Viking

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Mons (montes): large mountain (as in really large, on Mars)

• Olympus Mons

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature• Mars Features

– Patera (pateræ): an irregular crater or volcano with scalloped edges_ Alba Patera (now Alba Mons, with patera reserved for craters on top) _ Apollinaris Patera

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Polygonal terrain

• South Polar Region, MOC

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015Geography, CSULB

Mars: Nomenclature

• Mars Features– Undæ: dunes

• Sand Hills of Nili Patera, Syrtis Major, MOC