In October 2013 it hit the headlines when it was announced it may be a supervolcano rather than an impact crater, according to research from the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, led by Joseph R. Michalski. (wikipedia entry)
A patera is an irregular crater, or a complex one with scalloped edges. Usually the dish-shaped depression atop a volcano. On Mars they are named after the nearest named albedo feature on the Schiaparelli or Antoniadi maps.