List of quadrangles on Mercury
Encyclopedia
The surface of the planet Mercury
has been divided into the following quadrangle
s:
Relationship of the quadrangles to each other on the surface of Mercury (North is at the top):
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
has been divided into the following quadrangle
Quadrangle (geography)
In geology or geography, the word "quadrangle" usually refers to a United States Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangle map, which are usually named after a local physiographic feature. The shorthand "quad" is also used, especially with the name of the map; for example, "the Ranger Creek, Texas...
s:
| Name | Number | Namesake | Area | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borealis Borealis quadrangle The Borealis quadrangle is a quadrangle on Mercury surrounding the north pole down to 65° latitude .It contains the Goethe Basin, whose diameter of at least makes it the sixth-largest impact basin observed on Mariner 10 images and the seventh-largest known with the discovery of Skinakas Basin... |
H-1 | Borealis Planitia Borealis Planitia Borealis Planitia is a large basin on Mercury with a smooth floor, thought to be similar to a lunar mare. It is centered at 73.4° N, 79.5° W. The name is Latin for "Northern Plain".... |
North pole to 67° latitude | Provisionally called "Goethe", but renamed by the International Astronomical Union in 1976 (IAU, 1977). Map. |
| Victoria Victoria quadrangle The Victoria quadrangle is a region on Mercury from 0 to 90° longitude and 20 to 70 ° latitude. It is designated the "H-2" quadrangle, and is also known as Aurora after a large albedo feature.... |
H-2 | Victoria Rupes Victoria Rupes Victoria Rupes is an escarpment at 50.9°N, 31.1°W in the Victoria quadrangle of Mercury. The quadrangle was named after this escarpment, and the escarpment itself was named after a ship belonging to the famous expedition of Ferdinand Magellan.... |
0 to 90° longitude, 21 to 66° latitude | Also called Aurora. Map. |
| Shakespeare Shakespeare quadrangle The Shakespeare quadrangle is a region of Mercury running from 90 to 180° longitude and 20 to 70° latitude. It is also called Caduceata.-Mariner 10 imaging:... |
H-3 | Shakespeare Shakespeare (crater) Shakespeare is a 370 km diameter impact basin in the Shakespeare quadrangle of Mercury, which is named after this crater. It is located at 49.7°N, 150.9°W and is named after playwright William Shakespeare.-External links:... crater |
90 to 180° longitude, 21 to 66° latitude | Also called Caduceata. Map. |
| Liguria Liguria quadrangle The Liguria quadrangle runs from 270 to 180° longitude and 20 to 70° latitude on Mercury. Only a thin strip of its territory along the eastern border with Shakespeare quadrangle was illuminated when Mariner 10 made its three flybys of the planet and so it was not mapped in detail until it was... |
H-4 | Liguria albedo feature | 270 to 180° longitude, 21 to 66° latitude | |
| Apollonia Apollonia quadrangle The Apollonia quadrangle runs from 360 to 270° longitude and 20 to 70° latitude on Mercury. It was not illuminated when Mariner 10 made its three flybys of the planet and so wasn't mapped in detail until MESSENGER few by the planet in 2008. It is named after the Apollonia albedo feature.... |
H-5 | Apollonia albedo feature | 360 to 270° longitude, 21 to 66° latitude | |
| Kuiper Kuiper quadrangle The Kuiper quadrangle, located in a heavily cratered region of Mercury, includes the young, 55-km-diameter crater Kuiper , which has the highest albedo recorded on the planet, and the small crater Hun Kal , which is the principal reference point for Mercurian longitude... |
H-6 | Kuiper Kuiper (crater on Mercury) Kuiper is a moderate-size crater with a central peak cluster located at 11 S, 31.5 W on Mercury. It is 60 km in diameter and was named after Gerard Kuiper. Kuiper crater has the highest recorded albedo of any region on the planet's surface, suggesting that it is one of the youngest craters.Kuiper... crater |
0 to 72° longitude, −22 to 22° latitude | Also called Tricrena Map |
| Beethoven Beethoven quadrangle The Beethoven quadrangle is located in the equatorial region of Mercury, in the center of the area imaged by Mariner 10. Most pictures of the quadrangle were obtained at high sun angles as the Mariner 10 spacecraft receded from the planet... |
H-7 | Beethoven Beethoven (crater) Beethoven is a crater at latitude –20, longitude 124 on Mercury. It is 643 km in diameter and was named after Ludwig van Beethoven. It is the eleventh largest named impact crater in the Solar System and the third largest on Mercury.... crater |
72 to 144° longitude, −22 to 22° latitude | Also called Solitudo Lycaonis Map |
| Tolstoj Tolstoj quadrangle The Tolstoj quadrangle in the equatorial region of Mercury runs from 144 to 216° longitude and -25 to 25° latitude. It was provisionally called "Tir", but renamed after Leo Tolstoy by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Also called Phaethontias.... |
H-8 | Tolstoj Tolstoj (crater) Tolstoj is a large, ancient impact crater at latitude −15, longitude 165 on Mercury. It was named after Leo Tolstoy. The albedo feature Solitudo Maiae appears to be associated with this crater.... crater |
144 to 216° longitude, −22 to 22° latitude | Provisionally called "Tir", but renamed by the International Astronomical Union in 1976 (IAU, 1977). Also called Phaethontias. Map |
| Solitudo Criophori Solitudo Criophori quadrangle The Solitudo Criophori quadrangle on Mercury was named after the Solitudo Criophori albedo feature. It runs from 216 to 288° longitude and from -25 to 25° latitude.... |
H-9 | Solitudo Criophori albedo feature | 216 to 288° longitude, −22 to 22° latitude | |
| Pieria Pieria quadrangle The Pieria quadrangle on Mercury runs from 288 to 360° longitude and from -25 to 25° latitude. It was named after the Pieria albedo feature.... |
H-10 | Pieria albedo feature | 288 to 360° longitude, –22 to 22° latitude | |
| Discovery Discovery quadrangle The Discovery quadrangle lies within the heavily cratered part of Mercury in a region roughly antipodal to the 1550-km-wide Caloris Basin. Like the rest of the heavily cratered part of the planet, the quadrangle contains a spectrum of craters and basins ranging in size from those at the limit of... |
H-11 | Discovery Rupes Discovery Rupes Discovery Rupes is an escarpment on Mercury approximately long and 2 kilometers high, located at latitude 56.3 S and longitude 38.3 W. It was formed by a thrust fault, thought to have occurred due to the shrinkage of the planet's core as it cooled over time. The scarp cuts through Rameau crater.... |
0 to 90° longitude, −21 to −66° latitude | Also called Solitudo Hermae Trismegisti Map. |
| Michelangelo Michelangelo quadrangle The Michelangelo quadrangle is in the southern hemisphere of the planet Mercury, where the imaged part is heavily cratered terrain that has been strongly influenced by the presence of multiring basins. At least four such basins, now nearly obliterated, have largely controlled the distribution of... |
H-12 | Michelangelo Michelangelo (crater) Michelangelo is a 216 km diameter impact basin in the Michelangelo quadrangle of Mercury, which is named after this crater. The crater itself is named after the artist Michelangelo. It is located at 45.0°S, 109.1°W.-External links:... crater |
90 to 180° longitude, −21 to -66° latitude | Also called Solitudo Promethei Map |
| Solitudo Persephones Solitudo Persephones quadrangle Solitudo Persephones quadrangle runs from 180 to 270° longitude and -20 to -70° latitude on Mercury. It is named after the Solitudo Persephones albedo feature.... |
H-13 | Solitudo Persephones albedo feature | 180 to 270° longitude, −21 to –66° latitude | |
| Cyllene Cyllene quadrangle The Cyllene quadrangle runs from 270 to 360° longitude and from -20 to -70° latitude on Mercury. It is named after the Cyllene albedo feature.Since this region wasn't illuminated when Mariner 10 made its flybys, it hasn't been mapped in detail.... |
H-14 | Cyllene albedo feature | 270 to 360° longitude, −21 to −66° latitude | |
| Bach Bach quadrangle The Bach quadrangle encompasses the south polar part of Mercury poleward of latitude 65° S.-Mariner 10 photography:About half of the region was beyond the terminator during the three Mariner 10 encounters and hence not visible... |
H-15 | Bach Bach (crater) Bach is a double-ringed impact basin centered in the Bach quadrangle of Mercury, which is named after this crater.... crater |
South pole to −67° latitude | Also called Australia. Map. |
Relationship of the quadrangles to each other on the surface of Mercury (North is at the top):