Constructional Volcanic Edifices on Mercury: Candidates and Hypotheses of Formation
- Wright, Jack
- Rothery, David,
- Balme, Matthew
- Conway, Susan,
DOIAbstract
International audienceMercury, a planet with a predominantly volcanic crust, has perplexingly few, if any, constructional volcanic edifices, despite their common occurrence on other solar system bodies with volcanic histories. Using image and topographical data from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft, we describe two small (<15-km diameter) prominences with shallow summit depressions associated with volcanically flooded impact features. We offer both volcanic and impact-related interpretations for their formation, and then compare these landforms with volcanic features on Earth and the Moon. Though we cannot definitively conclude that these landforms are volcanic, the paucity of construc...
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