Beethoven (crater)

Coordinates: 20°S 124°W / 20°S 124°W / -20; -124
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Beethoven
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MESSENGER image of Beethoven
Feature typeImpact crater
LocationBeethoven quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates20°S 124°W / 20°S 124°W / -20; -124
Diameter630 km (390 mi)
EponymLudwig van Beethoven[1]
Topographic map of Beethoven

Beethoven is a crater at latitude 20°S, longitude 124°W on Mercury. It is 630 km in diameter[note 1] and was named after Ludwig van Beethoven.[1] It is the eleventh largest named impact crater in the Solar System and the third largest on Mercury (after Caloris and Rembrandt).

Unlike many basins of similar size on the

rim) of Beethoven is buried by its ejecta blanket and by plains materials and is barely visible.[2] The floor of the basin is covered with intermediate smooth plains material, which has the same reflectance as the exterior intermediate terrain. However, there are no wrinkle ridges or graben inside the basin like those in Caloris.[4]

Caloris Basin. It is currently considered to be Tolstojan in age.[6]

The depth of Beethoven is estimated to be 2.5 ± 0.7 km from the

stereo derived digital elevation models based on Mariner 10 images of the planet. This is significantly less than the depth of lunar basins of the similar size indicating that Beethoven probably has relaxed from its post impact shape.[4] There is also a broad topographic rise in the north–west margin of Beethoven.[2]

A scarp that is roughly parallel with the west rim of Beethoven is known as

Sayat-Nova lies across the southern rim. The large, fresh crater Bartók
is to the southwest of Beethoven.

Notes

  1. ^ Other sources give slightly smaller diameter—625 km.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Beethoven". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  2. ^
    Bibcode:2005LPI....36.1871A
    .
  3. Bibcode:1976LPICo.262...36T
    .
  4. ^
    doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2009.04.023
    .
  5. ^ Spudis, P.D.; Prosser, J.G. (1984). "Geologic map of the Michelangelo quadrangle of Mercury". U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series. Map I-1659, scale 1:5,000,000.
  6. ^ Denevi, B. W., Ernst, C. M., Prockter, L. M., and Robinson, M. S., 2018. The Geologic History of Mercury. In Mercury: The View After MESSENGER edited by Sean C. Solomon, Larry R. Nittler, and Brian J. Anderson. Cambridge Planetary Science. Chapter 6, Table 6.3.
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