Tholus

In planetary nomenclature, a tholus /ˈθləs/ (pl. tholi /ˈθl/) is a small domical mountain or hill.[1][2] The word is from the Greek θόλος, tholos (pl. tholoi),[3] which means a circular building with a conical or vaulted roof.[4] The Romans transliterated the word into the Latin tholus, which means cupola or dome.[5] In 1973, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) adopted tholus as one of a number of official descriptor terms for topographic features on Mars and other planets and satellites.[6][7] 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.[8] For example, many tholi appear to be volcanic in origin, but the term does not imply a specific geologic origin.[9] Currently (March 2015), the IAU recognizes 56 descriptor terms.[1] (See Planetary nomenclature.) Tholi are present on Venus, Mars, asteroid 4 Vesta, dwarf planet Ceres, and on Jupiter's moon Io.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference gazetteer_terms was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hargitai_2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Liddell_1889 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Britannica was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Simpson, D.P. (1968). Cassell's New Latin Dictionary; Funk & Wagnalls: New York, p. 604.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference De_Vaucouleurs_1975 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Greeley, R. (1994) Planetary Landscapes, 2nd ed.; Chapman & Hall: New York, pp. 35-36.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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. 1312.