List of geological features on Titan

This is a list of named geological features on Saturn's moon Titan. Official names for these features have only been announced very recently, as Titan's surface was virtually unknown before the arrival of the Cassini–Huygens probe. Some features were known by informal nicknames beforehand; these names are noted where appropriate.

Albedo features

Albedo features on Titan are named after sacred or enchanted places in world mythologies and literature.

Bright albedo features

Albedo feature	Coordinates	Named after
Adiri		Adiri, Melanesian paradise
Dilmun		Dilmun, Sumerian heaven
Quivira		Quivira, legendary city in southwestern America
Tsegihi		Tsegihi, Navajo sacred place
Xanadu		Xanadu, an imaginary palace in Coleridge's Kubla Khan

Dark albedo features

Albedo feature	Coordinates	Named after	Informal name
Aaru		Aaru, Egyptian paradise
Aztlan		Aztlán, mythical Aztec homeland	Southern part of 'Lying H'
Belet		Belet, Malay paradise
Ching-tu		Ching-tu, Chinese Buddhist paradise
Fensal		Fensalir, Norse heavenly mansion	Northern part of 'Lying H'
Mezzoramia		Mezzoramia, African oasis of happiness from Italian legend
Senkyo		Senkyo, Japanese paradise
Shangri-La		Shangri-La, Tibetan paradise

Arcūs

Titanean arcūs (arc-shaped features) are named after deities of happiness.

Albedo feature	Coordinates	Named after
Hotei Arcus		Hotei, Japanese god

Colles

Colles are small hills or knobs which are named after characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.

Collis	Coordinates	Diameter (km)	Named after
Arwen Colles		64	Arwen, character from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Bilbo Colles		164	Bilbo Baggins, titular character of Tolkien's The Hobbit
Faramir Colles		82	Faramir, character from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Gandalf Colles		102	Gandalf, character from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Handir Colles		100	Handir, character from Tolkien's The Silmarillion
Nimloth Colles		90	Nimloth, name of a character and a tree from Tolkien's Middle-earth

Craters

Craters on Titan are named after deities of wisdom.

Crater	Coordinates	Diameter (km)	Named after	Informal name
Afekan		115.0	Afekan, New Guinean creator goddess
Beag		145.0	Beag, Irish/Celtic goddess
Forseti		115.0	Forseti, Norse god
Ksa		29.0	Ksa, Lakota/Oglala spirit
Menrva		392.0	Menrva, Etruscan goddess	'Circus Maximus'
Mystis		20.0	Mystis, Greek nymph
Selk		80.0	Selk, Egyptian goddess
Sinlap		80.0	Sinlap, Kachin spirit

Faculae

Faculae (bright spots) are named after islands on Earth that are not politically independent. Groups of faculae are named after archipelagos on Earth.

Facula	Coordinates	Named after	Informal name
Antilia Faculae		Antillia, mythical Atlantic archipelago
Bazaruto Facula		Bazaruto, Mozambique island
Coats Facula		Coats Island, Canada
Crete Facula		Crete, Greek island
Elba Facula		Elba, Italian island
Kerguelen Facula		Kerguelen Islands, French subantarctic island
Mindanao Facula		Mindanao, Philippine island	'Ireland'
Nicobar Faculae		Nicobar Islands, Indian archipelago
Oahu Facula		Oahu, Hawaiian island
Santorini Facula		Santorini, Greek island
Shikoku Facula		Shikoku, Japanese island	'Great Britain'
Sotra Facula		Sotra, Norwegian island	'The Rose'
Texel Facula		Texel, Dutch island	'Manhattan'
Tortola Facula		Tortola, British Virgin Islands	'The Snail'
Vis Facula		Vis, Croatian island

Fluctūs

The term "fluctus" refers to flow terrain. Fluctūs on Titan are named after mythological figures associated with beauty.

Fluctus	Coordinates	Named after
Ara Fluctus		Ara the Beautiful, Armenian legendary figure
Leilah Fluctus		Layla, Persian goddess
Rohe Fluctus		Rohe, Māori goddess
Winia Fluctus		Winia, Indonesian first woman

Flumina

A flumen is a feature that looks like a channel carved by liquid. They are named after mythical or imaginary rivers.

Flumina	Coordinates	Named after
Celadon Flumina		Celadon, river in Homer's Illiad
Elivagar Flumina		The Élivágar, a group of ice rivers in Norse mythology
Hubur Flumen		Hubur, river of the underworld in Mesopotamian mythology
Karesos Flumen		River in Homer's Illiad
Saraswati Flumen		Saraswati, river in Hindu mythology
Vid Flumina		One of the rivers in Élivágar.
Xanthus Flumen		Name of the Gods of the river Skamandros in the Iliad.

Freta

A fretum is a strait of liquid connecting two larger areas of liquids. They are named after characters from the Foundation series of science fiction novels by Isaac Asimov.

Fretum	Coordinates	Named after
Bayta Fretum		Bayta Darell, fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, wife of the Trader Toran Darell and grandmother of famous author Arcadia Darell.
Hardin Fretum		Salvor Hardin, fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, first Mayor of the planet Terminus.
Seldon Fretum		Hari Seldon, the fictional, intellectual hero of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, First Minister of the Galactic Empire.
Trevize Fretum		Golan Trevize, fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, councilman of the planet Terminus.

Insulae

Insulae are islands within Titan's 'seas'. They are named after legendary islands.

Insula	Coordinates	Liquid body	Named after
Bermoothes Insula		Kraken Mare	Bermoothes, an enchanted island in Shakespeare's Tempest
Bimini Insula		Kraken Mare	Bimini, island in Arawak legend said to contain the fountain of youth.
Bralgu Insula		Ligeia Mare	Baralku, in Yolngu culture, the island of the dead and the place where the Djanggawul, the three creator siblings, originated.
Buyan Insula		Ligeia Mare	Buyan, a rocky island in Russian folk tales located on the south shore of Baltic Sea
Hufaidh Insulae		Kraken Mare	Hufaidh, legendary island in the marshes of southern Iraq
Krocylea Insulae		Kraken Mare	Crocylea, mythological Greek island in the Ionian Sea, near Ithaca
Mayda Insula		Kraken Mare	Mayda, legendary island in the northeast Atlantic
Penglai Insula		Kraken Mare	Penglai, mythological Chinese mountain island where immortals and gods lived.
Planctae Insulae		Ligeia Mare	Symplegades, the "clashing rocks" in Bosphorus, which only Argo was said to have successfully passed the rocks.
Royllo Insula		Kraken Mare	Royllo, legendary island in the Atlantic, on verge of unknown, near Antilla and Saint Brandan.

Labyrinthi

Labyrinthi (complexes of intersecting valleys or ridges) on Titan are named after planets from the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.

Labyrinthus	Coordinates	Named after
Ecaz Labyrinthus		Ecaz
Kaitain Labyrinthus		Kaitain
Richese Labyrinthus		Richese
Sikun Labyrinthus		Sikun
Tupile Labyrinthus		Tupile

Lacunae

Lacunae are dark areas with the appearance of dry lake beds, which are named after intermittent lakes on Earth.

Lacūs

Lakes of liquid methane on Titan. View from Bolsena Lacus (lower right) to Mackay Lacus (upper left).

Main article: Lakes of Titan

Lacūs (plural form of lacus used in Titan geological nomenclature) are hydrocarbon lakes.

Large ringed features

Large ring features are named after deities of wisdom in world mythology.

Ring feature	Coordinates	Named after
Guabonito		Guabonito, Taíno sea goddess
Nath		Irish goddess of wisdom
Paxsi		Aymara goddess of the moon and wisdom
Veles		Veles, Slavic god

Maculae

Titanean maculae (dark spots) are named after deities of happiness, peace, and harmony in world mythology.

Macula	Coordinates	Named after
Eir Macula		Eir, Norse goddess.
Elpis Macula		Elpis, Greek god
Ganesa Macula		Ganesa, Hindu god
Genetaska Macula		Genetaska, Peace Queen of the Iroqouis
Omacatl Macula		Omacatl, Aztec god.
Polaznik Macula		Polaznik, Slavic god
Polelya Macula		Polelya, Slavic god

Maria

Main article: Lakes of Titan

Maria (plural of mare) are hydrocarbon seas.

Montes

Mountains are named after mountains from the fictional Middle-Earth created by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Mons	Coordinates	Named after
Angmar Montes		Mountains of Angmar
Dolmed Montes		Mount Dolmed
Doom Mons		Mount Doom
Echoriat Montes		Echoriath
Erebor Mons		Erebor, the Lonely Mountain
Gram Montes		Mount Gram
Irensaga Montes		Irensaga
Merlock Montes		Merlock Mountains
Mindolluin Montes		Mindolluin
Misty Montes		Misty Mountains
Mithrim Montes		Mountains of Mithrim
Moria Montes		Mountains of Moria
Rerir Montes		Mount Rerir
Taniquetil Montes		Taniquetil

Planitiae

Planitiae (low plains) on Titan are named after planets from the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.

Planitia	Coordinates	Named after
Arrakis Planitia		Arrakis
Caladan Planitia		Caladan
Chusuk Planitia		Chusuk
Hagal Planitia		Hagal
Poritrin Planitia		Poritrin
Romo Planitia		Romo
Rossak Planitia		Rossak

Regiones

Regiones (regions distinctly different from their surroundings) are named after deities of peace and happiness.

Regio	Coordinates	Named after
Concordia Regio		Concordia, the Roman goddess of divinity and harmony
Hetpet Regio		Hetpet, the Egyptian personification of happiness
Hotei Regio		Budai, Chinese/Japanese god
Tui Regio		Tui, Chinese goddess.

Sinūs

Sinus (bays) within seas or lakes are named after terrestrial bays, coves, fjords or inlets.

Name	Coordinates	Liquid body	Length (km)	Source of name
Arnar Sinus		Kraken Mare	101	Arnar, fjord in Iceland
Flensborg Sinus		Kraken Mare	115	Flensburg, fjord between Denmark and Germany
Gabes Sinus		Kraken Mare	147	Gabes, or Syrtis minor, a bay in Tunisia
Kumbaru Sinus		Kraken Mare	122	Bay in India
Moray Sinus		Kraken Mare	204	Moray Firth in Scotland
Nicoya Sinus		Ligeia Mare	130	Gulf of Nicoya in Costa Rica
Okahu Sinus		Kraken Mare	141	Okahu Bay near Auckland, New Zealand
Patos Sinus		Ligeia Mare	103	Patos, fjord in Chile
Puget Sinus		Ligeia Mare	93	Puget Sound in Washington, United States
Rombaken Sinus		Ligeia Mare	92.5	Rombaken, fjord in Norway
Skelton Sinus		Kraken Mare	73	Skelton Glacier near Ross Sea, Antarctica
Trold Sinus		Kraken Mare	118	Trold Fiord Formation in Nunavut, Canada
Tunu Sinus		Kraken Mare	134	Tunu, fjord in Greenland
Wakasa Sinus		Ligeia Mare	146	Bay in Japan
Walvis Sinus		Kraken Mare	253	Walvis Bay in Namibia

Terrae

Terrae are extensive landmasses. As with the albedo features, they are named after sacred and enchanted locations from cultures across the world.

Terra	Coordinates	Named after
Garotman Terra		Garotman, the Iranian paradise where the souls of faithful men inhabit
Tollan Terra		Tollan, the Aztec paradise where crops never wilt
Yalaing Terra		Yalaing, the Australian spirit land for good souls with clean water and game

Virgae

Virgae (streaks of colour) are named after rain gods in world mythologies.

Virga	Coordinates	Named after
Bacab Virgae		Bacab, Mayan rain god
Hobal Virga		Hobal, Arabian rain god.
Kalseru Virga		Kalseru, Australian Aborigine rain god.
Perkunas Virgae		Perkūnas, Lithuanian supreme god
Shiwanni Virgae		Shiwanni, Zuni rain god
Tishtrya Virgae		Tishtrya, Persian rain god
Tlaloc Virgae		Tlaloc, Aztec rain god
Uanui Virgae		Uanui, Māori rain god

Informal names for unnamed features

Because the exact nature of many surface features remain mysterious, a number of features have not yet received formal names and are known by nicknames. In most cases, indications of brightness and darkness refer not to visible light, but to the infrared images used to look through Titan's obscuring haze. Cassini has also begun to map portions of Titan using radar.

• 'The Sickle': a large, dark, sickle-shaped region identified by the Hubble Space Telescope.
• 'Dog and Ball', 'Dragon's Head': large, dark, roughly equatorial regions identified by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, named for their distinctive shapes.
• 'Si-Si the Cat': a region that appears dark in radar images, named after a researcher's daughter who said it looked like a cat.

See also

• Lakes of Titan

External links

• USGS: Titan nomenclature
• USGS links to PDF maps with nomenclature