Martian Crater Named After Indian Geologist M.S. Krishnan

A 3.5-billion-year-old crater on Mars has been officially named ‘Krishnan’ in honour of M.S. Krishnan, the pioneering Indian geologist and the first Indian Director of the Geological Survey of India. The naming was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Two Kerala-based researchers had proposed the names, and the IAU also approved several Kerala-based names for smaller Martian landforms associated with the main crater. These include:

• Valiamala
• Thumba
• Bekal
• Varkala
• Periyar (for a vallis or valley)

This marks the first time that names of places from Kerala have been officially adopted for geographical features on Mars.

Born in 1898 in Thanjavur (then Madras Presidency), M.S. Krishnan is celebrated for his outstanding contributions to Indian geology.

Source: TH