On the origin of graben and ridges within and near volcanically buried craters and basins in Mercury's northern plains
Images of Mercury's northern volcanic plains taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft reveal a large number of buried impact craters and basins discernible by wrinkle-ridge rings that overlie their rims. Many of these “ghost” craters and basins contain interior graben of diverse widths and orientation...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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American Geophysical Union
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/85933 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2652-8017 |
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| author | Freed, Andrew M. Blair, David M. Watters, Thomas R. Klimczak, Christian Byrne, Paul K. Solomon, Sean C. Zuber, Maria Melosh, H. Jay |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Freed, Andrew M. Blair, David M. Watters, Thomas R. Klimczak, Christian Byrne, Paul K. Solomon, Sean C. Zuber, Maria Melosh, H. Jay |
| author_sort | Freed, Andrew M. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Images of Mercury's northern volcanic plains taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft reveal a large number of buried impact craters and basins discernible by wrinkle-ridge rings that overlie their rims. Many of these “ghost” craters and basins contain interior graben of diverse widths and orientations. Here we use finite element models to test a variety of mechanisms for the formation of these graben and ridges. Results show that graben are best explained by cooling of large thicknesses of flood lavas within the craters and basins; conservation of surface area during cooling induces the required extensional stress state. In contrast, the development of wrinkle-ridge rings is best explained as the result of cooling and contraction of Mercury's interior, during which a reduction in Mercury's surface area led to a compressional state of stress. The critical factor in determining where large graben form is the thickness of the youngest cooling unit, the topmost sequence of lavas that cooled coevally. A thicker cooling unit leads to a deeper initiation of normal faulting (wider graben floors). Consistent with observations, the widest graben are predicted to occur where pooled lavas were thickest, and no graben are predicted within generally thinner plains outside of major craters. Observed concentrically oriented graben can be explained by variations in the thickness of the youngest cooling unit. In contrast, none of the basin uplift mechanisms considered, including isostatic response to crater topography, inward flow of the lower crust, or exterior loading by volcanic plains, can account for concentrically oriented graben. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:12:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/85933 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:12:32Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/859332022-10-01T13:46:02Z On the origin of graben and ridges within and near volcanically buried craters and basins in Mercury's northern plains Freed, Andrew M. Blair, David M. Watters, Thomas R. Klimczak, Christian Byrne, Paul K. Solomon, Sean C. Zuber, Maria Melosh, H. Jay Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Zuber, Maria Images of Mercury's northern volcanic plains taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft reveal a large number of buried impact craters and basins discernible by wrinkle-ridge rings that overlie their rims. Many of these “ghost” craters and basins contain interior graben of diverse widths and orientations. Here we use finite element models to test a variety of mechanisms for the formation of these graben and ridges. Results show that graben are best explained by cooling of large thicknesses of flood lavas within the craters and basins; conservation of surface area during cooling induces the required extensional stress state. In contrast, the development of wrinkle-ridge rings is best explained as the result of cooling and contraction of Mercury's interior, during which a reduction in Mercury's surface area led to a compressional state of stress. The critical factor in determining where large graben form is the thickness of the youngest cooling unit, the topmost sequence of lavas that cooled coevally. A thicker cooling unit leads to a deeper initiation of normal faulting (wider graben floors). Consistent with observations, the widest graben are predicted to occur where pooled lavas were thickest, and no graben are predicted within generally thinner plains outside of major craters. Observed concentrically oriented graben can be explained by variations in the thickness of the youngest cooling unit. In contrast, none of the basin uplift mechanisms considered, including isostatic response to crater topography, inward flow of the lower crust, or exterior loading by volcanic plains, can account for concentrically oriented graben. United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (MESSENGER, NASA Discovery Program, contract NASW-00002) United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA grant PGG09-0053) United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA grant NAS5-97271) 2014-03-27T19:30:12Z 2014-03-27T19:30:12Z 2012-12 2012-09 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 01480227 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/85933 Freed, Andrew M., David M. Blair, Thomas R. Watters, Christian Klimczak, Paul K. Byrne, Sean C. Solomon, Maria T. Zuber, and H. J. Melosh. “On the Origin of Graben and Ridges Within and Near Volcanically Buried Craters and Basins in Mercury’s Northern Plains.” J. Geophys. Res. 117, no. E12 (December 2012): n/a–n/a. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2652-8017 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2012je004119 Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf American Geophysical Union MIT web domain |
| spellingShingle | Freed, Andrew M. Blair, David M. Watters, Thomas R. Klimczak, Christian Byrne, Paul K. Solomon, Sean C. Zuber, Maria Melosh, H. Jay On the origin of graben and ridges within and near volcanically buried craters and basins in Mercury's northern plains |
| title | On the origin of graben and ridges within and near volcanically buried craters and basins in Mercury's northern plains |
| title_full | On the origin of graben and ridges within and near volcanically buried craters and basins in Mercury's northern plains |
| title_fullStr | On the origin of graben and ridges within and near volcanically buried craters and basins in Mercury's northern plains |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the origin of graben and ridges within and near volcanically buried craters and basins in Mercury's northern plains |
| title_short | On the origin of graben and ridges within and near volcanically buried craters and basins in Mercury's northern plains |
| title_sort | on the origin of graben and ridges within and near volcanically buried craters and basins in mercury s northern plains |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/85933 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2652-8017 |
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