List of montes on Venus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of montes (mountains, singular mons) on the planet Venus. The largest peaks are clustered in the northern hemisphere of the planet. Four major mountain ranges of Venus are Akna Montes, Danu Montes, Freyja Montes, and Maxwell Montes. They are on the Ishtar Terra, surrounding the Lakshmi Planum.[1][2]
There are 118 mons and montes currently recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Six features were formerly classified as mons but have since been reclassified or removed from nomenclature entirely.[3] Notably, Skadi Mons, which was once believed to be the tallest peak on Venus, has since been labeled as a misidentified feature after it was determined in 2025 that it does not correspond to any summit or distinct topographic feature.[4][5]
Venusian mountain belts are typically characterized by having many parallel ridges and troughs, similar to the mountain ranges on Earth.[6] These mountain ranges appear to have been formed by the compressive tectonic folding and buckling of Venus's crust, similar to mountain formation on Earth.[1][6] However, Venusian mountains have steep slopes due to a lack of erosion; there exist no rivers or glaciers to erode the mountains, and other causes of erosion found on Earth are also absent on Venus.[6]
Venusian mountains are all named after goddesses in the mythologies of various cultures, except for the Maxwell Montes, which is named after the physicist James Clerk Maxwell.[7][8]
Montes
| Name[3] | Coordinates | Diam. (km) | AS | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abeona Mons | 44.8°S 273.1°E | 375 | (1) | Abeona, Roman goddess of travelers |
| Akna Montes | 68.9°N 318.2°E | 830 | (1) | Akna, Mayan goddess of birth |
| Aleksota Mons | 9.0°S 308.5°E | 250 | (1) | Aleksota, Lithuanian goddess of love |
| Anala Mons | 11.0°N 14.1°E | 525 | (1) | Anala (Hindu), Hindu fertility goddess. Name changed from Anala Corona. |
| Api Mons | 38.9°N 54.7°E | 190 | (1) | Api, Scythian goddess of earth |
| Arasy Mons | 40.26°S 209.74°E | 69.0 | (1) | Arasy, Guarani (Paraguay) moon goddess |
| Atai Mons | 22.0°S 291.0°E | 250 | (1) | Atai, Efik (Ghana) wife of sky god Abassi |
| Atanua Mons | 9.5°N 308.9°E | 1000 | (1) | Atanua, dawn goddess from Marquesas Islands |
| Atira Mons | 52.2°N 267.6°E | 152 | (1) | Atira, Pawnee wife of Great Spirit Tirawa |
| Atsyrkhus Mons | 78.5°S 227.0°E | 170 | (1) | Atsyrkhus (Ossetian people of central Asia), Ossetian, daughter of sun god Khur |
| Awenhai Mons | 60.0°S 248.0°E | 100 | (1) | Awenhai, Mohawk/Iroquois fertility goddess |
| Bagbartu Mons | 65.5°N 279.0°E | 600 | (1) | Bagbartu (Urartian), Urartu goddess, worshipped at Musasir |
| Bécuma Mons | 34.0°N 21.9°E | 0 | (1) | Bécuma (Celtic), Irish dawn goddess |
| Bunzi Mons | 45.8°N 354.9°E | 36 | (1) | Bunzi (Woyo people of Dem. Rep. Congo), Woyo (Zaire) rainbow goddess |
| Chloris Mons | 45.4°S 294.6°E | 180 | (1) | Chloris, Greek flower goddess |
| Chuginadak Mons | 38.0°S 246.0°E | 450 | (1) | Chuginadak (Aleut Inuit), Aleutian volcano goddess |
| Cipactli Mons | 31.5°S 332.5°E | 200 | (1) | Cipactli, Aztec crocodile-like monster-goddess from which the earth was created |
| Ciuacoatl Mons | 53.0°N 150.9°E | 100 | (1) | Ciuacoatl, Aztec earth goddess. Changed from Ciuacoatl Corona |
| Copacati Mons | 34.8°N 276.8°E | 80 | (1) | Copacati, Incan lake goddess |
| Danu Montes | 58.5°N 334.0°E | 808 | (1) | Danu (Celtic), Celtic mother of gods |
| Dzalarhons Mons | 0.5°N 34.0°E | 120 | (1) | Dzalarhons (Haida people of North America), Haida (NW Coast) volcano goddess |
| Egle Mons | 59.0°S 134.0°E | 110 | (1) | Eglė, Lithuanian underwater queen |
| Eostre Mons | 45.1°N 329.1°E | 26 | (1) | Eostre (Germanic), Teutonic goddess of spring |
| Erzulie Mons | 68.0°S 8.0°E | 300 | (1) | Erzulie (Haitian), Haitian voodoo goddess of love |
| Fand Mons | 7.0°N 158.0°E | 300 | (1) | Fand (Celtic), Celtic goddess of healing and pleasure |
| Faravari Mons | 43.5°S 309.0°E | 500 | (1) | Faravari (Malagasy), Malagasy (Madagascar) water goddess |
| Firtos Mons | 47.35°S 220.09°E | 143 | (1) | Firtos, Hungarian diminished goddess, queen of the good fairies. |
| Freyja Montes | 74.1°N 333.8°E | 579 | (1) | Freyja, Norse fertility goddess |
| Gauri Mons | 20.2°S 102.2°E | 75 | (1) | Gauri (Hindu), Indian mountain goddess |
| Gula Mons | 21.9°N 359.1°E | 276 | (1) | Gula (Babylonian), Mesopotamian medicine goddess |
| Gurshi Mons | 47.5°S 58.5°E | 210 | (1) | Gurshi (Buryat), Buryatian fishing deity |
| Gwen Mons | 21.4°S 238.7°E | 200 | (1) | Irish goddess of happiness and smiles |
| Hallgerda Mons | 53.1°N 198.3°E | 57 | (1) | Hallgerda (Norse), Icelandic goddess of vanity |
| Hathor Mons | 38.7°S 324.7°E | 333 | (1) | Hathor (Egyptian), Egyptian sky goddess |
| Idunn Mons | 46.5°S 214.5°E | 250 | (1) | Idun, Norse goddess |
| Ilithyia Mons | 13.5°S 315.5°E | 90 | (1) | Ilithyia, Greek goddess of childbirth |
| Innini Mons | 34.6°S 328.5°E | 339 | (1) | Innini, Babylonian earth mother worshipped at Kish |
| Irnini Mons | 14.6°N 16.0°E | 475 | (1) | Irnini, Assyro-Babylonian goddess of cedar-tree mountains |
| Iseghey Mons | 9.0°N 171.0°E | 500 | (1) | Iseghey (Sakha people of Russia), Yakutian/Saha goddess of cows |
| Ixtab Mons | 15.7°N 242.2°E | 80 | (1) | Ixtab, Mayan goddess of death |
| Jael Mons | 51.2°N 120.8°E | 36 | (1) | Jael, Hebrew biblical heroine |
| Kali Mons | 9.4°N 29.2°E | 325 | (1) | Kali (Hindu), Hindu goddess, mother of death |
| Katl-Imi Mons | 69.0°S 126.0°E | 120 | (1) | Katl-Imi, Khanty sun goddess |
| Kokyanwuti Mons | 35.5°N 212.0°E | 400 | (1) | Kokyanwuti (Hopi people of North America), Hopi earth goddess – "Spider Woman" |
| Kono Mons | 19.5°N 268.0°E | 350 | (1) | Senufu (Mali, Cote d’Ivoire), goddess of wild birds |
| Kshumay Mons | 54.9°S 58.0°E | 250 | (1) | Kshumay (Nurestan, Afghanistan), Nuristan (NE Afghanistan) vegetation goddess |
| Kunapipi Mons | 33.9°S 86.0°E | 220 | (1) | Kunapipi (Australian aborigine), Australian mother earth goddess. Changed from Kunapipi Corona. |
| Kurukulla Mons | 48.7°N 103.0°E | 59 | (1) | Kurukulla (Tibetan), Etan (Tibet) goddess of wealth |
| Lahar Mons | 14.0°N 162.0°E | 225 | (1) | Lahar, Assyro-Babylonian goddess of domestic animals |
| Laka Mons | 79.9°N 262.0°E | 220 | (1) | Laka (Hawaiian), Hawaiian uncultivated area goddess |
| Lamashtu Mons | 2.8°N 172.7°E | 260 | (1) | Lamashtu (Sumerian), Sumerian goddess who inflicted children with diseases |
| Lanig Mons | 68.5°S 91.0°E | 400 | (1) | Lanig (Semang people of the Malay Peninsula), Semang (Malay Peninsula) creator goddess |
| Loo-Wit Mons | 59.5°S 56.0°E | 150 | (1) | Loowit (Multnomah and Klikitat people of North America), Multnomah and Klikitat (NW Coast) volcano goddess, embodied in Mt. St. Helens |
| Maat Mons | 0.5°N 194.6°E | 395 | (1) | Ma'at (Egyptian), Ancient Egyptian goddess of truth and justice |
| Maxwell Montes | 65.2°N 3.3°E | 797 | (1) | James Clerk Maxwell, British physicist (1831–1879) |
| Mbokomu Mons | 15.1°S 215.2°E | 460 | (1) | Mbokomu, ancestor goddess of the Ngombe (Zaire) |
| Melia Mons | 62.8°N 119.3°E | 311 | (1) | Greek nymph |
| Mem Loimis Mons | 9.5°N 209.0°E | 300 | (1) | Wintun (California) goddess |
| Mertseger Mons | 38.1°S 270.3°E | 450 | (1) | Mertseger，Snake goddess of the Theban Necropolis |
| Metis Mons | 71.0°N 253.0°E | 920 | (1) | Greek Titaness |
| Mielikki Mons | 27.8°S 280.5°E | 450 | (1) | Mielikki, Finnish forest goddess |
| Milda Mons | 52.5°N 159.4°E | 48 | (1) | Milda, Lithuanian goddess of love |
| Mokosha Mons | 57.7°N 255.0°E | 270 | (1) | East Slavic main goddess |
| Muhongo Mons | 10.6°N 174.5°E | 175 | (1) | Mbundu (Angola) ancestor deity |
| Muta Mons | 55.5°N 358.3°E | 54 | (1) | Roman goddess of silence |
| Nahas-tsan Mons | 14.0°N 205.0°E | 500 | (1) | Navajo Mother Earth |
| Nayunuwi Montes | 2.0°N 83.0°E | 900 | (1) | Cherokee stone-clad female monster |
| Nazit Mons | 22.5°N 240.0°E | 350 | (1) | Nazit, Egyptian winged serpent goddess |
| Ne Ngam Mons | 43.0°S 257.5°E | 200 | (1) | Lao world creator goddess |
| Nepthys Mons | 33.0°S 317.5°E | 350 | (1) | Nepthys, Egyptian goddess of barren lands |
| Nijole Mons | 45.0°N 185.0°E | 150 | (1) | Lithuanian underworld goddess. Spelling changed from Niola Mons. |
| Ninisinna Mons | 25.7°N 197.5°E | 110 | (1) | Mesopotamian goddess of health and healing |
| Nokomis Montes | 20.0°N 189.0°E | 486 | (1) | Algonquin (N. America) earth mother |
| Nyx Mons | 30.0°N 48.5°E | 875 | (1) | Nyx, Greek goddess of night |
| Ongwuti Mons | 2.0°S 194.5°E | 500 | (1) | Hopi salt-woman deity who predicts seasons |
| Ozza Mons | 4.5°N 201.0°E | 507 | (1) | Persian goddess honored by the Qurayshies |
| Pahto Mons | 64.5°S 114.5°E | 300 | (1) | Yakima/Klickitat (NW Coast) mountain deity |
| Polik-mana Mons | 24.5°N 264.0°E | 600 | (1) | Polik-mana, Hopi butterfly maiden ('kachina') |
| Ptesanwi Mons | 2.8°N 45.4°E | 200 | (1) | Ptesanwi, Lakota (Sioux) White Buffalo Woman |
| Rakapila Mons | 43.7°S 321.5°E | 130 | (1) | Malagasy (Madagascar) sacred tree deity |
| Renpet Mons | 76.0°N 236.2°E | 300 | (1) | Renpet, Egyptian goddess of springtime and youth |
| Rhea Mons | 32.4°N 282.2°E | 217 | (1) | Greek Titaness |
| Rhpisunt Mons | 2.5°N 301.5°E | 250 | (1) | Haida (NW Coast) Bear Mother deity |
| Sakwap-mana Mons | 35.0°N 219.5°E | 500 | (1) | Hopi maiden of blue corn ('kachina') |
| Samodiva Mons | 13.6°N 291.0°E | 200 | (1) | Bulgarian winged water deity |
| Sapas Mons | 8.5°N 188.3°E | 217 | (1) | Canaanite sun goddess |
| Sarasvati Mons | 75.7°N 354.5°E | 200 | (1) | Saraswati, Hindu river goddess |
| Sekmet Mons | 44.5°N 240.5°E | 285 | (1) | Sekmet, Ancient Egyptian goddess of war and battle |
| Sephira Mons | 43.0°S 28.0°E | 275 | (1) | Spanish goddess of intelligence and creativity |
| Shala Mons | 39.4°N 208.0°E | 90 | (1) | Shala, Canaanite storm goddess |
| Siduri Mons | 42.3°S 297.3°E | 105 | (1) | Siduri, Babylonian goddess of wine and wisdom |
| Sif Mons | 22.0°N 352.4°E | 200 | (1) | Sif, Teutonic goddess; Thor's wife |
| Somagalags Montes | 9.3°N 348.5°E | 105 | (1) | Bella Coola earth mother. Name changed from Somagalags Corona. |
| Spandarmat Mons | 16.5°S 255.0°E | 400 | (1) | Iranian mother goddess |
| Talakin Mons | 11.0°S 355.4°E | 175 | (1) | Navajo (USA) goddess |
| Tefnut Mons | 38.6°S 304.0°E | 182 | (1) | Ancient Egyptian goddess of dew or rain |
| Tepev Mons | 29.0°N 44.3°E | 301 | (1) | Quiche Mayan creator goddess |
| Thallo Mons | 76.0°N 233.5°E | 216 | (1) | Thallo, Greek goddess of vegetation flowering (Spring Hora) |
| Theia Mons | 22.7°N 281.0°E | 226 | (1) | Greek Titaness |
| Toma Mons | 12.9°S 232.0°E | 80 | (1) | Tibetan goddess of intelligence and creativity |
| Tsʻan Nu Mons | 27.2°S 272.9°E | 310 | (1) | Chinese goddess of silkworms |
| Tuli Mons | 13.3°N 314.6°E | 750 | (1) | Samoan goddess of creation |
| Tuulikki Mons | 10.3°N 274.7°E | 520 | (1) | Finnish wood goddess |
| Tuzandi Mons | 42.5°S 41.5°E | 200 | (1) | Palaun (Mon-Khmer of Burma/Myanmar) ancestor deity |
| Ua-ogrere Mons | 40.5°N 117.0°E | 200 | (1) | Kivai (New Guinea) ancestor deity, oldest woman who "ever existed" |
| Uretsete Mons | 12.0°S 261.0°E | 500 | (1) | Keresan Pueblo ancestor goddess |
| Ushas Mons | 24.3°S 324.6°E | 413 | (1) | Ushas, Hindu goddess of dawn |
| Uti Hiata Mons | 16.0°N 69.0°E | 500 | (1) | Pawnee Mother Corn deity |
| Var Mons | 1.2°N 316.2°E | 1000 | (1) | Scandinavian love goddess |
| Venilia Mons | 32.7°N 238.8°E | 320 | (1) | Venilia, Roman divinity associated with the winds and sea |
| Vostrukha Mons | 6.3°S 299.4°E | 180 | (1) | Belarusian deity of home |
| Waka Mons | 26.3°N 207.7°E | 60 | (1) | Waka, Polynesian lizard goddess |
| Wyrd Mons | 14.0°N 247.2°E | 150 | (1) | Wyrd, Anglo-Saxon weaving goddess |
| Xochiquetzal Mons | 3.5°N 270.0°E | 80 | (1) | Xochiquetzal, Aztec goddess of flowers |
| Xtoh Mons | 39.7°N 194.2°E | 110 | (1) | Quiche (Guatemala) goddess of weather and rain |
| Yolkai-Estsan Mons | 17.0°N 194.0°E | 600 | (1) | Navajo myth female deity |
| Yunya-mana Mons | 18.0°S 285.0°E | 500 | (1) | Hopi prickly pear cactus maiden |
| Zaltu Mons | 18.0°N 163.5°E | 220 | (1) | Assyro-Babylonian goddess |
Key
- DIAM — Longest dimension of feature in kilometres
- AS — Approval status
- (1) — Adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly
- (2) — Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) approval
- (3) — Dropped, no longer in use
See also
- Skadi Mons, formerly thought to be the tallest mountain on Venus
- Venusian geography
- Volcanism on Venus
- List of coronae on Venus
- List of craters on Venus
- List of tallest mountains in the Solar System
- List of mountains on Mars by height