False color oblique view of Nilokeras Scopulus on Mars. Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter (MOLA) colorized elevation overlying Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) Infrared (IR) daytime mosaic from Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Yellow and light green represent high elevations; dark green and blue are lower elevations. Image is approximately 175 km across. Vertical exaggeration is 3X.

In planetary geology, a scopulus /ˈskɒpjʊləs/ (pl. scopuli /ˈskɒpjʊlaɪ/, from Greek σκόπελος "peak"[1]) is a lobate or irregular escarpment.[2] In the early 1970s, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) adopted scopulus as one of a number of official descriptor terms for topographic features on Mars and other planets and satellites.[3] One justification for using neutral Latin or Greek descriptors was that it allowed features to be named and described before their geology or geomorphology could be determined.[4] Currently, the IAU recognizes 54 descriptor terms (see Planetary nomenclature). Thirteen features with the descriptor term scopulus are present on Mars.

Scopuli on Mars

Partial list of scopuli on Mars
Name Mars coordinates Quadrangle Length
Abalos Scopuli 80°43′12″N 283°26′24″E Mare Boreum quadrangle 109 km
Australe Scopuli 83°28′48″S 247°03′36″E Mare Australe quadrangle 505 km
Boreales Scopuli 88°52′48″N 269°50′24″E Mare Boreum quadrangle 1,13 km
Nilokeras Scopulus 31°43′12″N 304°09′00″E Mare Acidalium quadrangle 901 km

References

  1. ^ Liddell and Scott (1975). An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon; Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, p. 735.
  2. ^ Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms.
  3. ^ Greeley, R. (1994) Planetary Landscapes, 2nd ed.; Chapman & Hall: New York, pp. 35-36.
  4. ^ Russell, J.F.; Snyder, C.W.; Kieffer, H.H. (1992). Origin and Use of Martian Nomenclature in Mars, H.H. Kieffer et al., Eds.; University of Arizona Press: Tucson, AZ, p. 1310.


Categories