Mercury’s global contraction much greater than earlier estimates

• Published in: Nature geoscience Vol. 7; no. 4; pp. 301 - 307
• Main Authors: Byrne, Paul K., Klimczak, Christian, Celâl Şengör, A. M., Solomon, Sean C., Watters, Thomas R., Hauck, II, Steven A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.04.2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 704/2151/536; 704/2151/562; 704/445/845; Cooling; Earth Sciences; Earth System Sciences; Geochemistry; Geology; Geophysics/Geodesy; Lithosphere; Mantle; Mercury; Mercury (planet); Orbitals; Photogeology; Planetary evolution; Spacecraft; Tectonics
• ISSN: 1752-0894; 1752-0908
• DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2097

Mercury, a planet with a lithosphere that forms a single tectonic plate, is replete with tectonic structures interpreted to be the result of planetary cooling and contraction. However, the amount of global contraction inferred from spacecraft images has been far lower than that predicted by models of the thermal evolution of the planet’s interior. Here we present a synthesis of the global contraction of Mercury from orbital observations acquired by the MESSENGER spacecraft. We show that Mercury’s global contraction has been accommodated by a substantially greater number and variety of structures than previously recognized, including long belts of ridges and scarps where the crust has been folded and faulted. The tectonic features on Mercury are consistent with models for large-scale deformation proposed for a globally contracting Earth—now obsolete—that pre-date plate tectonics theory. We find that Mercury has contracted radially by as much as 7 km, well in excess of the 0.8–3 km previously reported from photogeology and resolving the discrepancy with thermal models. Our findings provide a key constraint for studies of Mercury’s thermal history, bulk silicate abundances of heat-producing elements, mantle convection and the structure of its large metallic core. Observations of compressional structures on Mercury have fallen short of accommodating the global contraction that is required owing to cooling of the planet's interior. Mapping of folds and faults across Mercury's surface using MESSENGER spacecraft images reveals deformation consistent with a planet that has contracted radially as much as seven kilometres over its history.