 Messina Chasmata is near the center of this Voyager 2 image of Titania | |
| Feature type | Chasm system |
|---|---|
| Location | Titania |
| Coordinates | 33°18′S 25°00′W / 33.30°S 25.00°W[1] |
| Length | ~1,492 km (927 mi)[1][a] |
| Discoverer | Voyager 2 |
| Naming | Official |
The Messina Chasmata /mɛˈsiːnə ˈkæzmətə/ are the largest canyon or system of canyons on the surface of the Uranian moon Titania, named after a location in William Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing.[1] The 1,492 km (927 mi)- long feature includes two normal faults running NW–SE, which bound a down-dropped crustal block forming a structure called a graben.[2] The graben cuts impact craters, which probably means that it was formed at a relatively late stage of the moon's evolution,[3] when the interior of Titania expanded and its ice crust cracked as a result.[4] The Messina Chasmata have only a few superimposed craters, which also implies being relatively young. The feature was first imaged by Voyager 2 in January 1986.[2]
- ^ a b c "Messina Chasmata". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. (Center Latitude: -33.30°, Center Longitude: 335.00°; Planetocentric, +East)
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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