Evidence for Young Volcanism on Mercury from the Third MESSENGER Flyby

Author:

Prockter Louise M.1,Ernst Carolyn M.1,Denevi Brett W.2,Chapman Clark R.3,Head James W.4,Fassett Caleb I.4,Merline William J.3,Solomon Sean C.5,Watters Thomas R.6,Strom Robert G.7,Cremonese Gabriele8,Marchi Simone9,Massironi Matteo10

Affiliation:

1. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA.

2. School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85251, USA.

3. Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.

4. Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

5. Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA.

6. Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA.

7. Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.

8. Instituto Nazionale di Astrofisica–Astronomical Observatory of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy.

9. Department of Astronomy, University of Padova, 35137 Padova, Italy.

10. Department of Geoscience, University of Padova, 35137 Padova, Italy.

Abstract

MESSENGER's Third Set of Messages MESSENGER, the spacecraft en route to insertion into orbit about Mercury in March 2011, completed its third flyby of the planet on 29 September 2009. Prockter et al. (p. 668 , published online 15 July) present imaging data acquired during this flyby, showing that volcanism on Mercury has extended to much more recent times than previously assumed. The temporal extent of volcanic activity and, in particular, the timing of most recent activity had been missing ingredients in the understanding of Mercury's global thermal evolution. Slavin et al. (p. 665 , published online 15 July) report on magnetic field measurements made during the 29 September flyby, when Mercury's magnetosphere underwent extremely strong coupling with the solar wind. The planet's tail magnetic field increased and then decreased by factors of 2 to 3.5 during periods lasting 2 to 3 minutes. These observations suggest that magnetic open flux loads the magnetosphere, which is subsequently unloaded by substorms—magnetic disturbances during which energy is rapidly released in the magnetotail. At Earth, changes in tail magnetic field intensity during the loading/unloading cycle are much smaller and occur on much longer time scales. Vervack et al. (p. 672 , published online 15 July) used the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer onboard MESSENGER to make measurements of Mercury's neutral and ion exospheres. Differences in the altitude profiles of magnesium, calcium, and sodium over the north and south poles of Mercury indicate that multiple processes are at play to create and maintain the exosphere.

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Subject

Multidisciplinary

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