- Virrat (crater)
MarsGeo-Crater
caption=The crater Virrat and its surroundings, in a screenshot inNASA World Wind .
name=Virrat
diameter=54 km
latitude=31.1
N_or_S=S
longitude=103
E_or_W=W
eponym=Virrat, Sweden orVirrat, Finland
depth=1.3 kmVirrat is a Martian impact crater, approximately 54 kilometers in diameter. It is located at 31.1°S, 103°W, southwest of the crater Dinorwic and northeast of
Clantas Fossae . Several Virrat crater radii to the north are the craters Koga and Nhill. It is named after a town inSweden [There appears to be no such town as Virrat, Sweden, although there does exist aVirrat ,Finland , and it is possible the IAU could have made a mistake when naming the crater.] , and its name was approved by theInternational Astronomical Union in1991 . [cite web
title=USGS Astro: Planetary Nomenclature: Feature Data Search Results | work=USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature Feature Information
url=http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/jsp/FeatureNameDetail.jsp?feature=66574
accessdate=October 22
accessyear=2007] "NASA World Wind " 1.4. NASA Ames Research Center, 2007.] According to a surface age map of Mars based onUS Geological Survey data, the area around Virrat is from theNoachian epoch , which places the area's age at 3.8 to 3.5 billion years ago. [cite web
title=INTEGRATING GLOBAL-SCALE MISSION DATASETS – UNDERSTANDING THE MARTIAN CRUST. | work=lpi.usra.edu
url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2005/pdf/1853.pdf
accessdate=October 22
accessyear=2007] At the highest point on its rim, it is about 6,400 meters above zero altitude, and it is about 5,100 meters at the crater bottom, giving it a depth of 1.3 kilometers.References
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