kids encyclopedia robot

List of geological features on Ariel facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Ariel is one of the many moons orbiting the giant planet Uranus. It's a fascinating world with lots of cool geological features on its surface. These features are like big marks on the moon's face, such as valleys, long cracks, and impact craters. What's really neat is that almost all of these features are named after bright spirits from myths and legends around the world! This list will help you learn about some of these amazing places on Ariel.

Deep Valleys on Ariel

Ariel has long, deep grooves on its surface called valles (say: VAH-less). These valleys often run alongside even bigger cracks called chasms. They are like long, winding canyons.

Name Size (km) Named After
Leprechaun Vallis 328 Leprechauns from Irish mythology
Sprite Vallis 305 Sprites from Celtic mythology

Giant Chasms: Long Cracks on Ariel

Some of the biggest cracks or trenches on Ariel are called chasmata (say: kaz-MAH-tah). These are like huge, deep canyons or rifts in the moon's surface. They are formed when the moon's crust pulls apart.

Name Length (km) Named After
Brownie Chasma 343 Brownies from British folklore
Kachina Chasma 622 Kachina from Hopi mythology
Kewpie Chasma 467 Kewpie from British folklore
Korrigan Chasma 365 Korrigans from Breton folklore
Kra Chasma 142 Kra from the Akan belief system
Pixie Chasma 278 Pixie from British folklore
Sylph Chasma 349 Sylph from British folklore

Impact Craters on Ariel

Craters are bowl-shaped holes on the surface of a moon or planet. They are usually made when space rocks, like asteroids or comets, crash into the surface. The size of the crater depends on how big and fast the space rock was.

Name Size (km) Named After
Abans 20 Aban from Persian mythology
Agape 34 Agape from Spenser's writings
Ataksak 22 Ataksak from Inuit mythology
Befana 21 Befana from Italian folklore
Berylune 29 Bérylune from Maurice Maeterlinck's play
Deive 20 Deive from Lithuanian folklore
Djadek 22 Djadek from Czech folklore
Domovoy 71 Domovoi from Slavic mythology
Finvara 31 Finvarra from Irish mythology
Gwyn 34 Gwyn ap Nudd from Welsh mythology
Huon 40 Huon of Bordeaux from French literature
Laica 30 Laica from Incan mythology
Mab 34 Queen Mab from English folklore
Melusine 50 Melusine from French literature
Oonagh 39 Oonagh from Irish mythology
Rima 41 Rima from William Henry Hudson's Green Mansions
Yangoor 78 Yangoor (a good spirit who brings daylight)
kids search engine
List of geological features on Ariel Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.