Bone Markings

Foramen (plural: foramina) (opening)

Hole in a bone Ex: Frontal bone Supraorbital foramen

Fissure (Opening)

Narrow slit in a bone or between adjacent parts of bones Ex: Sphenoid bone Superior orbital fissure

Protuberance (projection)

Outgrowth from a bone Ex: Occipital bone External occipital protuberance

Fovea (depression)

shallow pit Ex: Femur Fovea Capitis

Epicondyle (projection)

small projection usually proximal to condocyle Ex: Humerus Medial epicondyle

Projections

bony extensions of varying shapes and sizes; some provide locations for attachment of muscles, tendons, and ligaments; some fit into depressions of other bones to stabilize joints

Depressions

clefts of varying depth in a bone; located where a bone meets another structure, such as another bone or a blood vessel

Trochanter (projections)

Large projection found only in the femur Femur: Greater trochanter

Head (projections)

Round projection from a bone's epiphysis Ex: Humerus Head

Facet (depression)

Shallow convex or concave surface where two bones are articulate. Ex: Rib Articular facet for articulation with a transverse process

Spine (projection)

Sharp process Ex: Scapula Spine

tubercle/tuberosity (projections)

Small, rounded bony projection; a tuberosity is a large tubercle Ex: Humerus Medial epicondyle

Openings

holes that allow blood vessels and nerves to travel through a bone; permit access to the middle and inner ear; encase delicate structures and protect them from trauma

Fossa (depression)

indentation in a bone into which another structure fits Ex: Humerus Distal Portion with olecranon fossa

groove or sulcus (depression)

long indentation along which a narrow structure travels Ex: Rib Costal Groove

line (Projections)

long, narrow ridge Ex: Femur Linea aspera

Process (projection)

prominent bony projection Ex: Scapula Coracoid process

Crest (projection)

ridge or protection Ex: lium Iliac cres

Condyle (Projections)

rounded end of a bone that articulates with another bone Ex: mandible Mandibular condyle

Canal or meatus (Opening)

tunnel through bone Ex: Temporal bone External acoustic meatus