Topography of the Northern Hemisphere of Mercury from MESSENGER Laser Altimetry

Zuber, Maria T. and Smith, David E. and Phillips, Roger J. and Solomon, Sean C. and Neumann, Gregory A. and Hauck, Steven A. and Peale, Stanton J. and Barnouin, Olivier S. and Head, James W. and Johnson, Catherine L. and Lemoine, Frank G. and Mazarico, Erwan and Sun, Xiaoli and Torrence, Mark H. and Freed, Andrew M. and Klimczak, Christian and Margot, Jean-Luc and Oberst, Jürgen and Perry, Mark E. and McNutt, Ralph L. and Balcerski, Jeffrey A. and Michel, Nathalie and Talpe, Matthieu J. and Yang, Di (2012) Topography of the Northern Hemisphere of Mercury from MESSENGER Laser Altimetry. Science, 336 (6078), pp. 217-220. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). doi: 10.1126/science.1218805. ISSN 0036-8075.

Full text not available from this repository.

Official URL: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6078/217

Abstract

Laser altimetry by the MESSENGER spacecraft has yielded a topographic model of the northern hemisphere of Mercury. The dynamic range of elevations is considerably smaller than those of Mars or the Moon. The most prominent feature is an extensive lowland at high northern latitudes that hosts the volcanic northern plains. Within this lowland is a broad topographic rise that experienced uplift after plains emplacement. The interior of the 1500-km-diameter Caloris impact basin has been modified so that part of the basin floor now stands higher than the rim. The elevated portion of the floor of Caloris appears to be part of a quasi-linear rise that extends for approximately half the planetary circumference at mid-latitudes. Collectively, these features imply that long-wavelength changes to Mercury’s topography occurred after the earliest phases of the planet’s geological history.

Item URL in elib:

https://elib.dlr.de/80769/

Document Type:

Article

Title:

Topography of the Northern Hemisphere of Mercury from MESSENGER Laser Altimetry

Authors:

Authors	Institution or Email of Authors	Author's ORCID iD	ORCID Put Code
Zuber, Maria T.	Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Smith, David E.	Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Phillips, Roger J.	Planetary Science Directorate, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Solomon, Sean C.	Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Neumann, Gregory A.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Hauck, Steven A.	Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Peale, Stanton J.	Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Barnouin, Olivier S.	Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Head, James W.	Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Johnson, Catherine L.	Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Lemoine, Frank G.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Mazarico, Erwan	Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Sun, Xiaoli	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Torrence, Mark H.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.; Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies Inc., 7701 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Freed, Andrew M.	Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Klimczak, Christian	Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Margot, Jean-Luc	Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Oberst, Jürgen	Juergen.Oberst (at) dlr.de	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Perry, Mark E.	Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
McNutt, Ralph L.	Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Balcerski, Jeffrey A.	Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Michel, Nathalie	Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Talpe, Matthieu J.	Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Yang, Di	Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED

Date:

April 2012

Journal or Publication Title:

Science

Refereed publication:

Yes

Open Access:

Gold Open Access:

In SCOPUS:

Yes

In ISI Web of Science:

Yes

Volume:

336

DOI:

10.1126/science.1218805

Page Range:

pp. 217-220

Publisher:

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

ISSN:

0036-8075

Status:

Published

Keywords:

Topography, Northern Hemisphere of Mercury, MESSENGER Laser Altimetry

HGF - Research field:

Aeronautics, Space and Transport

HGF - Program:

Space

HGF - Program Themes:

Space Exploration

DLR - Research area:

Raumfahrt

DLR - Program:

R EW - Space Exploration

DLR - Research theme (Project):

R - Exploration of the Solar System

Location:

Berlin-Adlershof

Institutes and Institutions:

Institute of Planetary Research > Planetary Geodesy

Deposited By:

Beisembin, Bauyrzhan

Deposited On:

21 Jan 2013 09:01

Last Modified:

14 Jul 2026 10:24

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