Why it matters

Caloris shows that the catalog must handle not only bowls, but also giant basins.

What happenedOne of the largest impact basins in the inner Solar System, defining Mercury's appearance.
Why it mattersCaloris shows that the catalog must handle not only bowls, but also giant basins.
How scientists knowMESSENGER Mission; Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library

Measurements and uncertainty

Diámetro1,550 km
Depthnot listed
Ageabout 3.8 billion years
EstadoConfirmado
Coordinates30.500° N / 170.200° W
Record levelextended

Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.

Perfil científico

The basin is surrounded by rings, plains, and tectonic features tied to an enormous impact event.

Data provenanceMESSENGER Mission; Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library

Galería de reconstrucción

Más lecturas visuales del cráter

Si la imagen verificada no basta, la ficha recibe una reconstrucción científica: no fantasía en lugar de dato, sino una hipótesis visual separada de las fuentes.

Paleta del mundoMercurian slate, ash, and sharp light
Color visualization of the Caloris basin from MESSENGER data.
Vista visual actualPlaca base: fuente, material orbital o lámina editorial donde empieza la lectura visual.
Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Visual reconstruction

Reverse reconstruction → Chronological inversion → Bidirectional analysis → The present as an archive of the future

Cada ficha necesita una vista previa visual: una imagen existente, una fuente tratada estéticamente o una reconstrucción científica.

Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
Bidirectional analysischecking past-to-present and present-to-past interpretations
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Historia de investigación

Caloris was partly imaged by Mariner 10 and studied in detail by MESSENGER once full Mercury mapping became available.

Fuentes

CSVJSONCaloris. Crater.world record. Last reviewed 2026-05-08.
Last reviewed
2026-05-08
Source baseline
MESSENGER Mission; Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library
Uncertainty note
Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.
MESSENGER MissionNASA / Johns Hopkins APLGazetteer of Planetary NomenclatureInternational Astronomical Union / USGSNASA Image and Video LibraryNASA

Education mode

Datos

  • The basin is comparable in size to large terrestrial regions.
  • Its name is linked with heat and Mercury's solar geometry.
Glossaryejecta, impact melt, breccia, central peak, erosion
Classroom questionWhich evidence separates an impact crater from a volcanic caldera?
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