Equatorial ridge on Iapetus
Iapetus's equatorial ridge up close as imaged by Cassini | |
| Feature type | Mountains |
|---|---|
| Location | Iapetus |
| Coordinates | 0°N 0°W / 0°N -0°E |
| Length | 1,300 km (810 mi) |
| Peak | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Discoverer | Cassini |
Iapetus, Saturn's third-largest moon, has a 20 kilometer (12 mi) tall equatorial ridge. The ridge runs along most of Iapetus's equator, and is the third tallest mountain structure in the Solar System. First discovered by the Cassini probe in 2004, the ridge's origin is unknown. The equatorial ridge is split into three mountain ranges, Carcassone Montes, Toledo Montes, and Tortelosa Montes. There are bright areas on the sides of the equatorial ridge near Iapetus' bright trailing hemisphere, which were visible in Voyager 2 and were nicknamed the "Voyager Mountains", they were eventually formally named Carcassone Montes.