[a] Gertrude was first observed by the Voyager 2 spacecraft on its January 1986 flyby of the Uranian system.

The name Gertrude was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1988.

In the center of the crater there is a large dome, which resulted from the uplift of the surface immediately after the impact.

The rim and dome are low for crater with such a large diameter indicating that the relief has relaxed since the impact.

This implies that Gertrude underwent a period of relaxation, where the crust slowly creeps and gradually mutes topographical extremes.