Borealis Planitia
 Part of Borealis Planitia, photographed by MESSENGER | |
| Feature type | Planitia |
|---|---|
| Location | Borealis quadrangle, Mercury |
| Coordinates | 73°24′N 79°30′W / 73.4°N 79.5°W |
| Age | ~3.7 billion years |
| Eponym | Latin for "Northern Plain" |
Borealis Planitia /bɒriːˈeɪɪs pləˈnɪʃiə/ is a large plain on Mercury[1] with a smooth floor, thought to be similar to a lunar mare.[2] It is centered at 73.4° N, 79.5° W. The name is Latin for Northern Plain.
Borealis Planitia was formed by volcanic activity around 3.7 billion years ago and is the largest region of smooth plains on the planet.[3][4]
References
- ↑ "Borealis Planitia". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. IAU/NASA/USGS. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ↑ Topographic Features and Surface History, Atlas of Mercury (NASA SP-423), 1976
- ↑ Wright, Jack; Byrne, Paul K.; Rothery, David A. (September 2021). "Planet Mercury: Volcanism in a theatre of global contraction, with examples from the Hokusai quadrangle" (PDF). Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 417: 11. Retrieved 23 Jun 2026 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
- ↑ "Mercury's shadowy north pole revealed by M-CAM 1 (with labels)". European Space Agency. 9 Jan 2025. Retrieved 23 Jun 2026.
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