catena

Catena is a term that originates from the Latin word for chain and is used in various fields to denote a linked sequence or series of related items. In general usage, it can refer to any chain or progressive sequence.

In geography and soil science, a catena describes a sequence of soils or land units arranged along a slope. The concept captures how soil properties such as texture, drainage, fertility, and moisture vary from the crest to the toe-slope of a landscape. This spatial cascade results from differences in microclimate, runoff, erosion, and groundwater movement. Studying a soil catena helps explain land productivity, erosion patterns, and management practices, linking soil formation to position on the slope.

In planetary geology and astronomy, a catena is a chain of impact craters aligned in a line on the surface of the Moon, Mars, or other bodies. Such crater chains can form when a fragmented meteoroid breaks apart before impact or when secondary craters are produced by debris from a primary impact. The term is used by planetary scientists to describe these linear arrangements and to infer the underlying impact or geological processes.

Beyond these uses, catena serves as a general descriptor for any connected series of related elements. See also crater chains and soil catena, which reflect the term’s core meaning of a linked sequence.