Early telescopic astronomers, observing Mars from a great distance through primitive instruments (though they were advanced for their day), were limited to studying albedo contrasts on the surface of the planet. These albedo contrasts rarely correspond to topographic features and in many cases obscure them. The origins of the albedo contrasts were a mystery. The lighter patches at the poles were correctly believed to be a frozen substance, either water or carbon dioxide, but the nature of the dark patches seen against the general reddish tint of Mars was uncertain for centuries. When Giovanni Schiaparelli began observing Mars in 1877, he believed that the darker features were seas, lakes, and swamps and named them in Latin accordingly (mare, lacus, palus, etc.). Within a few decades, however, most astronomers agreed that Mars lacks large bodies of surface water. The dark features were then thought by some to be indications of Martian vegetation, since they changed shape and intensity over the course of the Martian year. They are now known to be areas where the wind has swept away the surface dust, leaving a darker, rockier surface; their borders change in response to windstorms on the Martian surface that pick up the dust, widening or narrowing the features.
The advent of space probes has revolutionized the scientific understanding of Mars, and some of the classical albedo features have become obsolete as they do not correspond clearly with the detailed images provided by spacecraft. However, many of the names used for topographic features on Mars are still based on the classical nomenclature of the feature's location; for instance, the albedo feature 'Ascraeus Lacus' provides the basis of the name of the volcano Ascraeus Mons.
In addition, since most Earth-based amateur telescopes are not powerful enough to resolve the topographic surface features of Mars, amateur astronomers still use many of the old feature-names to orient and record their observations.
Several Latin words involved here are common nouns. These are generally, but not always, second in the name, but are usually ignored in alphabetizing below:
Not listed here are the "canals" also observed and named by Schiaparelli, for which see the article Martian canals.
Name |
Pronunciation |
Meaning |
Modern name(s) |
Abalos |
ˈæbəlɒs |
A no-longer existent island in the North Sea, east of Heligoland |
Abalos Colles, Abalos Mensa, Abalos Scopuli, Abalos Undae |
Achæorum Portus |
ˌækiːˈɔərəm ˈpɔrtəs |
"Harbor of the Achaeans" |
Obsolete |
Acherusia Palus |
ˌækɨˈruːʒiə ˈpeɪləs |
"Marsh of Acherusia", named after the legendary swamps in Greek mythology |
Obsolete |
Achillis Pons |
əˈkɪlɨs ˈpɒnz |
"Bridge of Achilles" |
Obsolete |
Mare Acidalium |
ˈmɛəriː ˌæsɨˈdeɪliəm |
"Sea of Acidalia", named for the fountain Acidalia where the Graces bathed |
Acidalia Colles, Acidalia Mensa, Acidalia Planitia |
Æolis |
ˈiːəlɨs |
a modification of Aeolia, the name of the floating western island of Aiolos, the ruler of the winds |
Aeolis Mensae, Aeolis Planum |
Aëria |
eɪˈɪəriə |
From a poetic name for Egypt |
Aeria, IAU recognized albedo feature |
Ætheria |
ɨˈθɪəriə |
– the land of the living, as referred to in Virgil's Aeneid |
Aetheria, IAU recognized albedo feature |
Æthiopis |
ɨˈθaɪəpɨs |
Land of the Ethiopians |
Aethiopis, IAU recognized albedo feature |
Aganippe Fons |
ˌæɡəˈnɪpiː ˈfɒnz |
"Aganippe's Fountain", legendary home of a Greek naiad |
Aganippe Fossa |
Alcyonia |
ˌælsiːˈoʊniə |
Land of kingfishers. |
Obsolete |
Amazonis |
əˈmæzənɨs |
"Land of the Amazon", legendary warrior women |
Amazonis Mensa, Amazonis Planitia, Amazonis Sulci |
Amenthes |
əˈmɛnθiːz |
Alternate name for Duat, the Egyptian land of the dead |
Amenthes Cavi, Amenthes Fossae, Amenthes Planum, Amenthes Rupes |
Ammonium |
əˈmoʊniəm |
Ancient name for the Siwa Oasis |
Obsolete |
Mare Amphitrites |
ˈmɛəriː ˌæmfɨˈtraɪtiːz |
"Sea of Amphitrite", a Greek sea-goddess |
Amphitrites Patera |
Lucus Angitiæ |
ˈljuːkəs ænˈdʒɪʃɪiː |
"Grove of Angitia", named after the snake goddess |
Obsolete |
Depressiones Aoniæ |
dɨˌprɛʃiːˈoʊniːz eɪˈoʊniːi |
"Lowlands of the Muses", who came from Helicon in Aonia |
Obsolete |
Aonius Sinus |
eɪˈoʊniəs ˈsaɪnəs |
"Bay of the Muses" |
Aonia Planum, Aonia Terra |
Aponi Fons |
ˈæpənaɪ ˈfɒnz |
Roman name for the Bagni d'Abano, warm-water baths near Padua |
Obsolete |
Aquæ Apollinares |
ˈeɪkwiː əˌpɒlɨˈnɛəriːz |
"Apollo's Waters"; Roman name for the Bagni di Stigliano baths in Canale Monterano, Tuscany |
Obsolete |
Aquæ Calidæ |
ˈeɪkwiː ˈkælɨdiː |
"Hot spring" |
Obsolete |
Aquarii Depressio |
əˈkwɛəri.aɪ dɨˈprɛʃi.oʊ |
"Lowland of Aquarius" |
Obsolete |
Arabia |
əˈreɪbiə |
Arabian peninsula |
Arabia Terra |
Arachoti Fons |
ˌærəˈkoʊtaɪ ˈfɒnz |
"Fountain of Arachotus", a river in Afghanistan |
Obsolete |
Aram |
ˈɛərəm |
Aram, Biblical land of the Aramaeans |
Aram Chaos |
Arcadia |
ɑrˈkeɪdiə |
From Arcadia, a region of the central Peloponnesus |
Arcadia Dorsa, Arcadia Chaos |
Arduenna |
ˌɑrdjuːˈɛnə |
Latin names for the Ardennes forests |
Obsolete |
Arethusa Fons |
ˌærɨˈθjuːzə ˈfɒnz |
"Arethusa's Fountain", after the Greek nymph |
Obsolete |
Ariadnes Depressio |
ˌæriˈædniːz dɨˈprɛʃioʊ |
"Lowland of Ariadne", a Greek heroine |
Ariadnes Colles |
Argyre I |
ˈɑrdʒɨriː ˈpraɪmə |
"First Silver Land", a mythical island in Greek mythology |
Argyre Cavi, Argyre Planitia, Argyre Rupes |
Argyre II |
ˈɑrdʒɨriː sɨˈkʌndə |
"Second Silver Land" (see above) |
Obsolete |
Argyroporos |
ˌɑrdʒɨˈrɒpərɒs |
"Silver Strait" |
Obsolete |
Aromatum Promontorium |
əˈrɒmətəm ˌprɒmənˈtɔəriəm |
"Cape of Fragrant Spices" |
Aromatum Chaos |
Arsia Silva |
ˈɑrʃiə ˈsɪlvə |
Arsia Silva, forest northwest of Rome where the Tarquinii were defeated |
Arsia Chasmata, Arsia Mons, Arsia Sulci |
Arsinoës Depressio |
ɑrˈsɪnoʊiːz dɨˈprɛʃioʊ |
Lowland of Arsinoë, the name of various Greek and Egyptian figures |
Arsinoes Chaos |
Artynia Fons |
ɑrˈtɪniə fɒnz |
"Artynia's Fountain", referring to Lake Artynia in Asia Minor |
Artynia Catena |
Aryn Promontorium |
ˈɛərɨn ˌprɒmənˈtɔəriəm |
"Cape of Aryn" |
Obsolete |
Fastigium Aryn |
fæsˈtɪdʒiəm ˈɛərɨn |
"Summit of Aryn" |
Obsolete |
Ascræus Lacus |
æsˈkriːəs ˈleɪkəs |
"Ascraeus Lake", a poetic paraphase of "heliconian" or "rural" |
Ascraeus Chasmata, Ascraeus Mons, Ascraeus Sulci |
Astræ Lacus |
ˈæstriː ˈleɪkəs |
"Lake of the Astra", Greek star-gods |
Obsolete |
Atalantes Depressio |
ætˈlæntiːz dɨˈprɛʃioʊ |
Lowland of Atalanta, Greek heroine |
Obsolete |
Nix Atlantica |
ˈnɪks ætˈlæntɨkə |
"Snows of Atlas", a Titan in Greek mythology |
Obsolete |
Atlantidum Sinus |
ætˈlæntɨdəm ˈsaɪnəs |
"Bay of the Atlantises" (just south of Atlantis I and II, see below) |
Obsolete |
Atlantis I |
ætˈlæntɨs ˈpraɪmə |
"First Atlantis", mythical drowned land |
Atlantis Chaos |
Atlantis II |
ætˈlæntɨs sɨˈkʌndə |
"Second Atlantis" (see above) |
Atlantis Chaos |
Augila |
ˈɔːdʒɨlə |
Awjila, a city in Cyrenaica |
Obsolete |
Aurea Cherso |
ˈɔriə ˈkɛrsoʊ |
"Golden Peninsula", ancient name for the Malay Peninsula |
Obsolete |
Aureum Cornu |
ˈɔriəm ˈkɔrnjuː |
"Golden Horn", inlet dividing Constantinople |
Aureum Chaos |
Auroræ Sinus |
ɒˈrɔəriː ˈsaɪnəs |
"Bay of the Dawn" |
Aurorae Planum, Aurorae Chaos |
Ausonia |
ɒˈzoʊniə |
From a poetic name for Italy |
Ausonia Cavus, Ausonia Mensa, Ausonia Montes |
Mare Australe |
ˈmɛəriː ɒsˈtreɪliː |
"Southern Sea" |
Chasma Australe, Australe Lingula, Australe Mensa, Australe Montes, Planum Australe, Australe Scopuli, Australe Sulci |
Name |
Pronunciation |
Meaning |
Baltia |
ˈbælʃiə |
From a name for the regions near the Baltic Sea |
Baltia, IAU recognized albedo feature |
Bandusiæ Fons |
bænˈdjuːʒɪiː ˈfɒnz |
"Fountain of Bandusia", title of a poem by Horace |
Obsolete |
Bathys Portus |
ˈbeɪθɨs ˈpɔrtəs |
"Deep Harbor", the port of Aulis in Boeotia |
Bathys Planum, changed to Icaria Planum |
Benacus Lacus |
bɨˈneɪkəs ˈleɪkəs |
"Lake Benacus" (Lago di Garda in northern Italy) |
Obsolete |
Biblis Fons |
ˈbɪblɨs ˈfɒnz |
"Biblis Fountain", a Carian well near Miletus |
Biblis Patera, Biblis Tholus |
Bosporium Promontorium |
bɒsˈpɔəriəm ˌprɒmənˈtɔəriəm |
"Cape of the Bosphorus" |
|
Bosporus/Bosphorus Gemmatus |
ˈbɒspərəs / ˈbɒsfərəs dʒɨˈmeɪtəs |
"Bejewelled Bosphorus" |
Bosporos Planum, Bosporus Regio, Bosporos Rupes |
Brangæna |
brænˈdʒiːnə |
|
Obsolete |
Castalia Fons |
kæsˈteɪliə fɒnz |
|
Cebrenia |
sɨˈbriːniə |
|
Cecropia |
sɨˈkroʊpiə |
"Land of Cecrops" |
Ceraunius |
sɨˈrɔːniəs |
|
Chalce |
ˈkælsiː |
|
Charitum Promontorium |
ˈkærɨtəm ˌprɒmənˈtɔəriəm |
"Cape of the Graces" |
Chironis Fretum |
kaɪˈroʊnɨs ˈfriːtəm |
"Strait of Chiron" |
Mare Chronium |
ˈmɛəriː ˈkroʊniəm |
|
Chryse |
ˈkraɪsiː |
Chryse was an island rich in gold in the Far East of Erythraeum |
Chrysokeras |
krɨˈsɒkɨrəs |
The Golden Horn |
Cimmeria Insula |
sɨˈmɪəriə ˈɪnsjʊlə |
"Cimmerian Island" |
Mare Cimmerium |
ˈmɛəriː sɨˈmɪəriəm |
"Cimmerian Sea", named after an ancient Thracian seafaring people |
Circaeum Promontorium |
sərˈsiːəm ˌprɒmənˈtɔəriəm |
"Cape of Circe" |
Clepsydra Fons |
klɛpˈsaɪdrə ˈfɒnz |
"Water-clock fountain", a well in the Athenian acropolis. |
Coracis Portus |
ˈkɒrəsɨs ˈpɔrtəs |
"Haven of Corax" |
Cyane Fons |
ˈsaɪəniː ˈfɒnz |
"Cyane fountain", a spring in Sicily from which the Cyane river sprang, named for a nymph. |
Cydonia |
saɪˈdoʊniə |
poetic name for Crete |
Cynia Lacus |
|
|
Danaïdum Depressio |
dəˈneɪədəm dɨˈprɛʃioʊ |
"Lowland of the daughters of Danaüs" |
Daphne |
ˈdæfniː |
From Daphne ("bay laurel"), a nymph pursued by Apollo. |
Deucalionis Regio |
ˌdjʊkeɪliːˈoʊnɨs ˈriːdʒioʊ |
"Region of Deucalion" |
Dia |
ˈdaɪə |
An island north of Crete |
Diacria |
daɪˈeɪkriə |
A region of Euboea |
Dioscuria |
ˌdaɪəsˈkjʊəriə |
"Land of the Dioscuri" |
Eden |
ˈiːdən |
From Eden, the biblical paradise |
Edom |
ˈiːdəm |
From Edom, an ancient kingdom in modern Jordan |
Edom Promontorium |
ˈidəm ˌprɒmənˈtɔəriəm |
"Cape of Edom" |
Electris |
ɨˈlɛktrɨs |
The principal island of the "Electrides", islands said to produce amber. |
Elysium |
ɨˈlɪʒiəm |
From Elysium, the Greek land of dead heroes |
Eridania |
ˌɛrɨˈdeɪniə |
Land of the River Eridanus |
Mare Erythræum |
ˈmɛəriː ˌɛrɨˈθriːəm |
"Red Sea" |