Overview
- Periyar Vallis and craters named Varkala (~9 km), Valiamala (~13.5 km), Thumba, and Bekal (~4.9 km) were approved on November 24 by the IAU.
- A 77‑km Martian crater now bears the name Krishnan, with an adjacent ~50‑km plain designated Krishnan Palus in line with IAU conventions.
- The proposals were submitted by IIST researchers Rajesh V. J. and Asif Iqbal Kakkassery after multi‑year mapping of Xanthe Terra.
- Varkala was selected due to jarosite found in its coastal cliffs, a mineral commonly seen on Mars that aids Earth–Mars geological comparisons.
- IAU rules name large craters for notable deceased scientists and smaller craters for towns under 100,000 population, with seven new Indian entries contributing to roughly 50 Indian references among more than 2,000 named Martian features.