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
