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Topography of the northern hemisphere of Mercury from MESSENGER laser altimetry |
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| Authors: | Zuber Maria T Smith David E Phillips Roger J Solomon Sean C Neumann Gregory A Hauck Steven A Peale Stanton J Barnouin Olivier S Head James W Johnson Catherine L Lemoine Frank G Mazarico Erwan Sun Xiaoli Torrence Mark H Freed Andrew M Klimczak Christian Margot Jean-Luc Oberst Jürgen Perry Mark E McNutt Ralph L Balcerski Jeffrey A Michel Nathalie Talpe Matthieu J Yang Di |
| Institution: | Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. zuber@mit.edu |
| Abstract: | Laser altimetry by the MESSENGER spacecraft has yielded a topographic model of the northern hemisphere of Mercury. The dynamic range of elevations is considerably smaller than those of Mars or the Moon. The most prominent feature is an extensive lowland at high northern latitudes that hosts the volcanic northern plains. Within this lowland is a broad topographic rise that experienced uplift after plains emplacement. The interior of the 1500-km-diameter Caloris impact basin has been modified so that part of the basin floor now stands higher than the rim. The elevated portion of the floor of Caloris appears to be part of a quasi-linear rise that extends for approximately half the planetary circumference at mid-latitudes. Collectively, these features imply that long-wavelength changes to Mercury's topography occurred after the earliest phases of the planet's geological history. |
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