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Mercury’s Surface is Full of Sulfur
The southern portion of Mercury’s Vivaldi basin and outlying rugged terrain
Named for the 17th-century Venetian composer, the southern half of Mercury’s Vivaldi basin is seen in this image acquired on August 26 by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft. The 213-km (132-mile) -wide crater’s smooth floor is contrasted by the incredibly rugged terrain beyond its outermost ring — a result of the ejected material that was flung out from the impact site and emphasized by the low angle of illumination.
The floor of the crater remained relatively smooth due to molten material that erupted in the wake of the impact event, flooding the basin.
Recent findings from the MESSENGER mission have revealed variations in Mercury’s surface composition due to volcanism that occurred at different times, as well as a surprising concentration of elements like magnesium and sulfur — much more so than any of the other terrestrial planets.
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Read the rest of Mercury’s Surface is Full of Sulfur (263 words)
© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: crater, JHUAPL, Mercury, MESSENGER, NASA, Planetary Science, sulfur, Vivaldi
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2012-10-01 13:47:59
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/97667/mercurys-surface-is-full-of-sulfur/
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