Roncevaux Terra is the name given to the highly reflective side of Saturn's moon Iapetus. The other half of Iapetus, named Cassini Regio, is extremely dark. It is believed that Roncevaux Terra is the underlying colour of Iapetus, while Cassini Regio was formed either by a substance that has covered up the brighter ice of the rest of the moon, or by a residue left from the sublimation of Roncevaux-type water ice. For more details, see the main article on Iapetus.
Roncevaux Terra is named after the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, subject of the French poem the Chanson de Roland, after whose characters the surface features of Iapetus are named. "Terra" is a term used in planetary geology to refer to extensive landmasses.
The largest named crater in the terra is the 504-km-diameter Engelier. It partially obscures the slightly smaller crater Gerin. Both craters are named for paladins mentioned in the Chanson de Roland.
Famous quotes containing the word terra:
“In the event of an oxygen shortage on airplanes, mothers of young children are always reminded to put on their own oxygen mask first, to better assist the children with theirs. The same tactic is necessary on terra firma. There’s no way of sustaining our children if we don’t first rescue ourselves. I don’t call that selfish behavior. I call it love.”
—Joyce Maynard (20th century)