Dantu /ˈdæntuː/ is a large crater on Ceres, located within the Vendimia Planitia. It is rimmed by a number of minor faculae, which together form Bright Spot 2. The crater is named after Dantu, the timekeeper and first god of planting (millet) of the Gã people of Accra, Ghana.[2] Dantu is thought to have formed 230+30
−30 Ma (million years) ago, based on the amount of crater impacts present within its ejecta blankets.[3]
 Dantu crater. | |
| Feature type | Impact crater |
|---|---|
| Location | Ceres |
| Coordinates | 24°13′N 137°26′E / 24.21°N 137.43°E[1] |
| Diameter | 124.62 kilometres (77.44 mi) |
| Discoverer | Dawn |
| Naming | Dantu, the Gã god of planting |
The walls of Dantu are quite heavily eroded, with most of the north-eastern wall having collapsed completely.[3] Due to Dantu's relatively young age, its crater floor is smooth, with few additional craters present within it.[3] The crater floor also features a system of fractures, mostly located in the southern part of the crater.[3] The center of Dantu is contains a peak, with a ring complex around it.[4] The majority of Dantu's pit craters surround this feature, with said pit craters largely ranging between 400 and 900 metres in diameter.[4]
References
edit- ^ Staff (6 July 2015). "Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Dantu on Ceres". USGS. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ Marion Kilson (2013) Dancing with the Gods: Essays in Ga Ritual
- ^ a b c d Kallisch, J.; et al. (2017). "Geological Evolution and Composition of the Dantu Crater" (PDF). EPSC Abstracts. 11. European Planetary Science Congress: 1. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Sizemore, Hanna G.; et al. (16 July 2017). "Pitted terrains on (1) Ceres and implications for shallow subsurface volatile distribution". Geophysical Research Letters. 44 (13). American Geophysical Union: 6570–6578. doi:10.1002/2017GL073970. PMC 5606497. PMID 28989206.
Further reading
edit- Stephan, Katrin; et al. (15 January 2019). "Spectral investigation of quadrangle AC-H 3 of the dwarf planet Ceres – The region of impact crater Dantu" (PDF). Icarus. 318. Elsevier: 111–123. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.07.019. S2CID 126202699. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- Stein, Nathan T.; et al. (1 March 2019). "The formation and evolution of bright spots on Ceres". Icarus. 320. Elsevier: 188–201. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.10.014. S2CID 55621886.