Patera (plural: paterae ) is an irregular crater, or a complex crater with scalloped edges on a celestial body. Paterae can have any origin (

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Impac ...

or other), although majority of them were created by volcanism. The term comes from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

language, where it refers to a shallow bowl used in antique culture. This term is used in

planetary nomenclature Planetary nomenclature, like terrestrial nomenclature, is a system of uniquely identifying features on the surface of a planet or natural satellite so that the features can be easily located, described, and discussed. Since the invention of the tel ...

: it is a part of the international names of such features. In such names, it is capitalized and stands after the proper given name (e.g.,

Pillan Patera Pillan Patera is a patera, or a complex crater with scalloped edges, on Jupiter's moon Io. It is located at , south of Pillan Mons and west of Reiden Patera. It is named after the Araucanian thunder, fire, and volcano god. Its name was approved ...

). Besides that, it can be used as a description term and applied even to unnamed features.

Nature of paterae

The term "patera", like other terms of

, describes only the external view of the feature, but not its origin or geological structure. Majority of paterae of

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

and Io are

volcanic crater A volcanic crater is an approximately circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a bowl-shaped feature containing one or more vents. During volcanic eruptions, molten magma and volcanic gases rise from an und ...

s or

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

s, but some others (like Orcus Patera on Mars), probably, are

impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact crater ...

s. At least some of paterae on Triton and the only (as for 2016) named patera of Titan, Sotra Patera, most probably, have

cryovolcanic A cryovolcano (sometimes informally called an ice volcano) is a type of volcano that erupts volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane into an extremely cold environment that is at or below their freezing point. The process of formation is known ...

origin. Some authors include low depth in defining criteria of paterae. There is no clear boundary between paterae and usual craters.

Peculiarities of usage of the term

According to some authors, actual usage of the term "patera" had deviated from its definition, and it became not only nomenclatural, but to some extent geological, being used to indicate volcanic origin of the feature. After Venusian Cleopatra Patera turned out to be an impact crater (instead of a volcanic one, as previously suggested), it was renamed into crater Cleopatra. Usually volcanic crater gets a proper name if the volcano itself is low and inconspicuous. Otherwise the volcanic mountain is named, and the crater remains unnamed. In some cases, names of Martian volcanic craters with the term "patera" were previously applied to the whole volcano, and it was reflected in values of their sizes given in IAU nomenclatural database. But in 2007, these names were tied to the craters themselves, and the corresponding volcanic mountains obtained names with the terms " Mons" or "

Tholus In planetary nomenclature, a tholus (pl. tholi ) is a small domical mountain or hill. The word is from the Greek θόλος, ''tholos'' (pl. ''tholoi''), which means a circular building with a conical or vaulted roof. The Romans transliterated th ...

". An example of such mountains is

Alba Mons Alba Mons (formerly and still occasionally known as Alba Patera, a term that has since been restricted to the volcano's summit caldera; also initially known as the Arcadia ring) is a volcano located in the northern Tharsis region of the planet Ma ...

, which obtained its name 34 years after its crater

Alba Patera Alba Mons (formerly and still occasionally known as Alba Patera, a term that has since been restricted to the volcano's summit caldera; also initially known as the Arcadia ring) is a volcano located in the northern Tharsis region of the planet Ma ...

. The geological term "highland patera" (a kind of low Martian volcanoes with radially channeled flanks), unlike the nomenclatural term "patera", refers to the whole volcano.

Names of paterae

The term "patera" (together with 12 other nomenclatural terms) was introduced into planetary nomenclature in 1973, on XV General Assembly of the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

, when 9 Martian paterae, imaged by Mariner 9 in 1972-1973, were named. As of August 2016, 249 paterae or their assemblages are named: 144 on Io, 73 on

, 20 on

, 6 on Ganymede, 5 on

Triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...

and 1 on Titan. They are named differently on different celestial bodies: * on

– after famous women; * on

– after a nearby albedo feature on classical maps by

Giovanni Schiaparelli Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli ( , also , ; 14 March 1835 – 4 July 1910) was an Italian astronomer and science historian. Biography He studied at the University of Turin, graduating in 1854, and later did research at Berlin Observatory, ...

Eugène Antoniadi Eugène Michel Antoniadi (Greek: Ευγένιος Αντωνιάδης; 1 March 1870 – 10 February 1944) was a Greek-French astronomer. Biography Antoniadi was born in Istanbul (Constantinople) but spent most of his adult life in France ...

; * on Io – after gods or heroes associated with fire, sun, thunder, volcanoes; after mythical blacksmiths; after associated eruptive centers; * on Ganymede – after

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water ...

s of the

Fertile Crescent The Fertile Crescent ( ar, الهلال الخصيب) is a crescent-shaped region in the Middle East, spanning modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan, together with the northern region of Kuwait, southeastern region of ...

; * on Titan – after deities of happiness, peace and harmony of various peoples. But actually the only named patera of Titan is named after Norwegian island

Sotra Sotra or Store Sotra is the name of a large island in Øygarden Municipality in Vestland county, Norway, located just west of the city of Bergen. It is part of a pair of islands called 'Sotra' and 'Litlesotra' ('small Sotra') that are part of a ...

, inherited from cancelled name of associated bright spot ''Sotra Facula''; * on

– with water-associated names, excluding Greek and Roman.

References

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Hargitai , editor2=Á. Kereszturi , chapter =Highland Patera , author =Gregg T. K. P. , publisher =Springer New York , date =2014 , pages =1–7 , isbn =978-1-4614-9213-9 , doi =10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_188-1 , chapter-url =https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9 {{cite book , author = Strobell M. E. , author2=Masursky H. , chapter = Planetary nomenclature , chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ztodv66A1VsC&q=patera&pg=PA99 , title = Planetary Mapping , editor = R. Greeley , editor2=R. M. Batson , publisher = Cambridge University Press , date = 1990 , isbn = 9780521033732 , pages = 99, 113 {{cite journal , author = Hargitai H. I. , title = Planetary Maps: Visualization and Nomenclature , journal = Cartographica , volume = 41 , issue = 2 , pages = 149–164 , date = 2006 , doi = 10.3138/9862-21JU-4021-72M3 , url = http://emc.elte.hu/~hargitai/hargitai/planmaps.pdf , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107105851/http://emc.elte.hu/~hargitai/hargitai/planmaps.pdf , archive-date = 2012-11-07 , citeseerx = 10.1.1.476.5554 {{cite book , title =Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms , editor =H. Hargitai , editor2=Á. Kereszturi , chapter =Patera, Paterae , author =Hargitai H. , publisher =Springer New York , date =2014 , pages =1–3 , isbn =978-1-4614-9213-9 , doi =10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_528-1 , chapter-url =https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9 {{cite journal , author=Hargitai H. , author2=Li C. , author3=Zhang Zh. , author4=Zuo W. , author5=Mu L. , author6=Li H. , author7=Shingareva K. B. , author8=Shevchenko V. V. , title=Chinese and Russian Language Equivalents of the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: an Overview of Planetary Toponym Localization Methods , date=2014 , journal=The Cartographic Journal , volume=56 , issue=4 , pages=335–354 , doi=10.1179/1743277413Y.0000000051 , s2cid=73714960 , issn=1743-2774 , url=http://emc.elte.hu/~hargitai/caj_2014_planetary_nomenclature.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306180030/http://emc.elte.hu/~hargitai/caj_2014_planetary_nomenclature.pdf , archive-date=2015-03-06 {{cite journal , author =Head J. W. , author2=Crumpler L. S. , author3=Aubele J. C. , author4=Guest J. E. , author5=Saunders R. S. , title =Venus volcanism: Classification of volcanic features and structures, associations, and global distribution from Magellan data , journal =Journal of Geophysical Research , date =August 1992 , volume =97 , issue =E8 , pages =13153–13197 , bibcode =1992JGR....9713153H , doi =10.1029/92JE01273 , issn =0148-0227 , quote =It is probable that the term "patera" has evolved in usage from that as originally defined and has come to mean any feature similar to Alba Patera on Mars (a broad low shield volcano with an irregular-shaped summit caldera and throughgoing graben). {{cite web , url = http://www.planet.geo.fu-berlin.de/eng/projects/mars/hrsc471-OrcusPatera.php , title = HRSC Press Release #471 - Orcus Patera (orbit 2216 & 2238) , publisher = ESA/DLR/FU Berlin , date = 2010-08-27 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140807204112/http://www.planet.geo.fu-berlin.de/eng/projects/mars/hrsc471-OrcusPatera.php , archive-date = 2014-08-07 , url-status=live {{cite journal , author = Lopes R.M.C. , author2=Kirk R.L. , author3=Mitchell K.L. , author4=Legall A. , author5=Barnes J.W. , author6=Hayes A. , author7=Kargel J. , author8=Wye L. , author9=Radebaugh J. , author10=Stofan E.R. , author11=Janssen M.A. , author12=Neish C.D. , author13=Wall S.D. , author14=Wood C.A. , author15=Lunine Jonathan I. , author-link15=Jonathan Lunine , author16=Malaska M.J. , title = Cryovolcanism on Titan: New results from Cassini RADAR and VIMS , journal = Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets , date = March 2013 , volume = 118 , issue = 3 , pages = 416–435 , doi = 10.1002/jgre.20062 , bibcode = 2013JGRE..118..416L , url = http://lasp.colorado.edu/~espoclass/5830_2013_Spring_homework/JGRE20062.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725225908/http://lasp.colorado.edu/~espoclass/5830_2013_Spring_homework/JGRE20062.pdf , archive-date=2014-07-25 , doi-access=free {{cite web , url = http://blog.classicist.org/?p=1014 , title = Classical comments: the patera , author = Loth C. , publisher = Institute of Classical Architecture & Art , date = 2010-10-05 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110810012854/http://blog.classicist.org/?p=1014 , archive-date = 2011-08-10 , url-status = dead , access-date = 2016-08-17 {{cite book , author = McKinnon W. B. , author2=Kirk R. L. , chapter = Triton , chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4gmSOrXIQUEC&q=patera&pg=PA418 , title = Encyclopedia of the Solar System , editor = P. Weissman , editor2=L.-A. McFadden , editor3=T. Johnson , publisher = Academic Press , date = 1998 , isbn = 9780080573137 , pages = 418 {{cite journal , author = Peterfreund A. R. , author2=Head J. W. , author3=Grieve R. A. F. , author4=Campbell D. B. , title = Cleopatra Patera, a Circular Structure in Maxwell Montes, Venus; Volcanic or Impact? , journal = Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference , date = March 1984 , pages = 641–642 , url = http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc1984/pdf/1325.pdf , bibcode = 1984LPI....15..641P {{cite journal , author =Plescia, J. B. , date =2004 , title =Morphometric properties of Martian volcanoes , journal=Journal of Geophysical Research , volume =109 , issue =E3 , pages =E03003 , doi =10.1029/2002JE002031 , bibcode=2004JGRE..109.3003P (example of using the term "patera" for the whole volcanoes) {{cite book , author = Шингарева К. Б. , chapter = Как дают названия деталям на картах планет , editor = В. Г. Сурдин , title = Путешествия к Луне , trans-title = Journeys to the Moon , place = Москва , publisher = Физматлит , date = 2009 , pages = 186 , isbn = 978-5-9221-1105-8 , chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cO-GOh7A2RQC&pg=PT293 , language = Russian {{cite book , author = Tanaka K. L. , author2 = Scott D. H. , author3 = Greeley R. , chapter = Global stratigraphy , chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ze27j5sSJVEC&q=patera&pg=PA367 , editor = H. H. Kieffer , editor2 = B. M. Jakosky , editor3 = C. W. Snyder , editor4 = M. S. Matthews , title = Mars , publisher = University of Arizona Press , date = 1992 , pages
367
, isbn = 9780816512577 , url = https://archive.org/details/mars0000unse/page/367 {{cite journal , title =Geologic mapping of the Amirani–Gish Bar region of Io: Implications for the global geologic mapping of Io , author =Williams D. A. , author2=Keszthelyi L. P. , author3=Crown D. A. , author4=Jaeger W. L. , author5=Schenk P. M. , date =January 2007 , journal =Icarus , volume =186 , issue =1 , pages =204–217 , doi =10.1016/j.icarus.2006.08.023 , bibcode =2007Icar..186..204W , url =http://rpif.asu.edu/members/williams/daw/pdf/2007WKCJS.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140807234255/http://rpif.asu.edu/members/williams/daw/pdf/2007WKCJS.pdf , archive-date=2014-08-07 {{cite journal , author =Zimbelman J.R. , author2=Shingareva K.B. , title =Compilation of a Glossary of International Terms related to Planetary Cartography , date =2001 , journal =Proceed. 20th ICA/ACI Conference, Beijing , volume =5 , pages =3269–3274 , url =http://icaci.org/files/documents/ICC_proceedings/ICC2001/icc2001/file/f26007.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808002554/http://icaci.org/files/documents/ICC_proceedings/ICC2001/icc2001/file/f26007.pdf , archive-date=2014-08-08

External links

* Lists of named paterae
on Venuson Marson Ioon Ganymedeon Titanon Triton
Planetary geology