Turgis (crater)

Turgis
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The 580km Turgis crater on Saturn's moon Iapetus, with the overlapping crater Malun at lower left
Feature typeImpact crater
LocationCassini Regio, Iapetus
Coordinates16°54′N 28°24′W / 16.900°N 28.400°W / 16.900; -28.400[1]
Diameter~580 km (360 mi)[1]
EponymTurgis, from the Song of Roland

Turgis /ˈtɜːrdʒɪs/ is the largest known crater on Saturn's moon Iapetus.[2][3] It is 580 km in diameter,[1] 40% of the moon's diameter and one of the larger craters in the Solar System. It is named after a Saracen baron, Turgis of Turtelose (Tortosa).[1]

It is located in Cassini Regio at 16.9°N, 28.4°W.[1] The rim has a scarp about 15 km high that generated a landslide.[4] It is overlain by Malun, the 13th-largest crater on Iapetus.

  1. ^ a b c d e "Iapetus: Turgis". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  2. ^ "Turgis". We Name The Stars. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  3. ^ "Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations: The Iapetus Atlas". Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  4. ^ "PIA06171: Giant Landslide on Iapetus". NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute (photojournal). 2004-12-31. Retrieved 2009-01-10.