c.m. rodrigue, 2015 geography, csulb mars: nomenclature geography 441/541 s/15 dr. christine m....
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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