List of geological features on Mercury

thumb|A map of Mercury showing its more than five hundred named surface features as of 7 February 2025.

Different types of geological features on the planet Mercury 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.

List of geological features on Mercury

{| class="wikitable"

! Feature

! Center Latitude

! Center Longitude

! Named after

! colspan=4 | Montes

| Caloris Montes || 31.46 || 174.15 || Latin for 'mountains of heat'

! colspan=4 | Dorsa

| Antoniadi Dorsum || 27.20 || 29.65 || Eugène Antoniadi

| Schiaparelli Dorsum || 23.26 || 164.30 || Giovanni Schiaparelli

! colspan=4 | Fossae

| Borobudur Fossae || −32.77 || 271.50 || Borobudur

| Pantheon Fossae || 30.19 || 197.17 || The Pantheon, Rome

! colspan=4 | Valles

| Angkor Vallis || 57.28 || 245.96 || Angkor, ancient city in Cambodia

| Cahokia Vallis || 65.55 || 233.06 || Cahokia Mounds, ancient city in Illinois, United States

| Caral Vallis || 62.66 || 230.71 || Caral, ancient city in Peru

| Paestum Vallis || 60.28 || 233.96 || Paestum, ancient city in Campania, Italy

| Timgad Vallis || 60.88 || 243.56 || Timgad, ancient city in Algeria

! colspan=4 | Planitiae

| Apārangi Planitia || 6.70 || 289.38 || Māori word for Mercury

| Borealis Planitia || 67.30 || 327.40 || Latin for 'northern plain'

| Budh Planitia || 19.52 || 150.46 || Hindu word for Mercury

| Caloris Planitia || 31.65 || 198.02 || Latin for 'plain of heat'

| Lugus Planitia || −6.24 || 98.66 || Gaulish equivalent of the Roman god Mercury

| Mearcair Planitia || 31.40 || 227.90 || Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for Mercury

| Odin Planitia || 23.60 || 169.86 || 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 || 39.00 || 128.02 || Ancient Egyptian messenger god

| Stilbon Planitia || 57.54 || 209.61 || Ancient Greek word for Mercury

| Suisei Planitia || 60.88 || 147.81 || Japanese for Mercury

| Tir Planitia || −1.04 || 176.69 || Persian for Mercury

| Turms Planitia || −31.05 || 350.81 || Etruscan messenger god equivalent of Roman god Mercury

| Utaridi Planitia || −65.50 || 270.17 || Swahili name for Mercury

! colspan=4 | Rupēs

| Acadia Rupes || 8.17 || 329.00 || , Canadian hydrographic survey and oceanographic research vessel

| Adventure Rupes || −65.48 || 65.30 || , ship of Captain Cook

| Alpha Crucis Rupes || −12.48 || 228.31 || Alpha Crucis, Brazilian oceanographic research vessel

| Altair Rupes || −70.48 || 186.49 || Altair, Mexican research vessel

| Alvin Rupes || 8.30 || 208.72 || , 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 || −42.55 || 70.90 || , ship of Jules Dumont d'Urville

| Beagle Rupes || −3.22 || 259.24 || , ship on which Charles Darwin sailed

| Belgica Rupes || −50.45 || 296.24 || , Belgian ship that was the first to winter in the Antarctic

| Blossom Rupes || −3.04 || 270.15 || , English ship that explored the Northwest Passage under Frederick William Beechey

| Calypso Rupes || 19.53 || 316.48 || , oceanographic research vessel of Jacques-Yves Cousteau

| Carnegie Rupes || 58.52 || 53.25 || Carnegie, research vessel used for magnetic surveys

| Carrasco Rupes || −9.66 || 218.97 || BAP Carrasco, Peruvian Navy oceanographic research vessel

| Challenger Rupes || −12.58 || 109.92 || , survey ship used to undertake the first global marine research expedition

| Chikyu Rupes || −53.82 || 259.62 || Chikyū is a Japanese scientific drilling ship built for the IODP

| Darshak Rupes || −14.50 || 47.42 || INS Darshak is a Sandhayak-class hydrographic survey ship in the Indian Navy, under the Eastern Naval Command

| Discovery Rupes || −54.70 || 37.24 || , ship of Captain Cook

| Duyfken Rupes || −20.88 || 131.93 || Duyfken, ship of Willem Janszoon

| Eltanin Rupes || −74.99 || 269.40 || , American icebreaker and Antarctic research vessel

| Endeavour Rupes || 38.36 || 31.38 || , ship of Captain Cook

| Endurance Rupes || 21.60 || 217.81 || Endurance, a British three-masted barquentine led by Ernest Shackleton on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition

| Enterprise Rupes || −36.54 || 283.46 || , American ship that explored the Mississippi, Amazon, and Madeira Rivers

| Fram Rupes || −57.68 || 93.20 || Fram, ship of Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen

| Gjöa Rupes || −66.89 || 158.50 || Gjøa, ship of Roald Amundsen

| Heemskerck Rupes || 27.30 || 124.31 || Ship of Abel Tasman

| Hero Rupes || −58.72 || 171.70 || Hero, ship of Nathaniel Palmer

| Hesperides Rupes || −2.98 || 189.55 || BIO Hespérides, is a Spanish polar research vessel

| Investigator Rupes || −25.39 || 223.96 || RV Investigator, is an Australian marine research vessel operated by CSIRO for oceanographic and marine research

| Kainan Rupes || −29.80 || 330.80 || Kainan Maru, Japanese ship of Nobu Shirase Antarctic exploration

| La Duaphine Rupes || 66.30 || 26.62 || Ship of Giovanni da Verrazzano

| Meteor Rupes || −47.70 || 345.70 || Meteor was a German survey vessel noted for her Atlantic Ocean survey work

| Mirni Rupes || −38.54 || 39.01 || Mirny, ship of Mikhail Lazarev

| Nautilus Rupes || −28.23 || 293.33 || , research vessel operated by Robert Ballard

| Palmer Rupes || −26.07 || 106.28 || Nathaniel B. Palmer, American icebreaker and Antarctic research vessel operated

| Paramour Rupes || −0.08 || 212.54 || , English research vessel commanded by Edmond Halley

| Pelagia Rupes || 15.33 || 218.59 || , Dutch research and survey vessel

| Pourquoi-Pas Rupes || −58.54 || 156.17 || Pourquoi-Pas, ship of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

| Protea Rupes || −9.36 || 203.01 || HMSAS Protea was the first hydrographic survey ship used by the South African Naval Service

| Resolution Rupes || −63.25 || 50.66 || , ship of Captain Cook

| Santa María Rupes || 5.81 || 20.00 || Santa María, ship of Christopher Columbus

| Selen Rupes || −8.11 || 178.92 || RV MTA Selen, Turkish research vessel operated by MTA

| Soya Rupes || −6.47 || 293.37 || Sōya was Japan’s first dedicated Antarctic research vessel

| Tangaroa Rupes || 1.04 || 173.27 || RV Tangaroa is a research vessel and icebreaker operated by Earth Sciences New Zealand for marine science and environmental monitoring

| Terror Rupes || −72.06 || 275.69 || , English ship of Arctic and Antarctic exploration

| Unity Rupes || 27.16 || 275.20 || Unity, English ship on which Edmond Halley sailed to Saint Helena

| Vejas Rupes || 35.71 || 162.25 || Vejas, Lithuanian research vessel

| Victoria Rupes || 52.71 || 34.16 || Victoria, ship of Ferdinand Magellan

| Volasiga Rupes || −36.22 || 146.00 || The RFNS Volasiga is an oceanic survey vessel operated by the Republic of Fiji Navy

| Vostok Rupes || −37.88 || 19.60 || Vostok, ship of Fabian von Bellingshausen

| Xuelong Rupes || 57.27 || 182.87 || Xue Long and Xue Long 2 are research vessels belonging to China

| Yelcho Rupes || 23.54 || 224.11 || Yelcho is a Chilean steam-powered cutter that rescued the Endurance crew in Antarctica in 1916

| Zapiola Rupes || 72.36 || 44.02 || Argentinian ship involved in oceanographic surveys in Southwestern Atlantic

| Zarya Rupes || −42.73 || 20.42 || Zarya, a Soviet experimental schooner

| Zeehaen Rupes || 49.64 || 158.15 || Ship of Abel Tasman

! colspan=4 | Catenae

| Arecibo Catena || −27.58 || 28.29 || Arecibo Observatory

| Goldstone Catena || −15.62 || 32.02 || Goldstone Observatory

| Haystack Catena || 4.42 || 46.48 || Haystack Observatory

! colspan=4 | Faculae

|Abeeso Facula || 21.70 || 214.60 || Somali word for snake

|Agwo Facula || 22.40 || 213.70 || Igbo word for snake

|Ahas Facula || −21.37 || 89.40 || Filipino word for snake

|Amaru Facula || −49.80 || 349.50 || Quechuan word for snake

|Bibilava Faculae || 16.40 || 202.80 || Malagasy word for snake

|Bitin Facula || −51.55 || 28.45 || Cebuano word for snake

|Coatl Facula || −29.75 || 216.55 || Nahuatl word for snake

|Ejo Faculae || 14.50 || 200.50 || Yoruba word for snake

|Gata Facula || −52.90 || 321.40 || Fijian and Samoan word for snake

|Havu Facula || −52.22 || 28.45 || Kannada word for snake

|Ibab Facula || 14.50 || 199.20 || Amharic word for snake

|Inyoka Faculae || 14.00 || 197.70 || Zulu and Xhosa word for snake

|Maciji Facula || 14.90 || 196.00 || Hausa word for snake

|Madu Facula || −21.24 || 74.87 || Estonian word for snake

|Nākahi Facula || −52.70 || 342.20 || Maori word for snake

|Nathair Facula || 36.00 || 295.50 || Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for snake

|Neidr Facula || 35.90 || 302.70 || Welsh word for snake

|Ngu Facula || −22.77 || 90.85 || Lao word for snake

|Nzoka Facula || 15.40 || 194.70 || 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

|Serp Facula || 3.90 || 309.06 || Catalan word for snake

|Slang Faculae || 24.50 || 179.30 || Afrikaans word for snake

|Suge Facula || 26.10 || 300.40 || Basque word for snake

|Thueban Facula || 48.70 || 200.50 || Arabic word for snake

|Ular Facula || −55.10 || 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

USGS/Mercury: https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/MERCURY/target

List of geological features on Mercury

See also

References