Mercury Contraction: Global topography

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington/USGS/Arizona State University.
September 26, 2016
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Colorized image of planet Mercury
NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington/USGS/Arizona State University.

The topography of the northern hemisphere shows the highs and lows of Mercury. The closest approach of the MESSENGER spacecraft to Mercury (the periapsis altitude) was located in the northern hemisphere and so during the low-altitude campaign the small, young fault scarps were found in highest resolution images of that region. This is the first global topographic model of Mercury and is combined with a global image mosaic. The view is centered near Carnegie Rupes, one of the largest lobate fault scarps in the northern hemisphere of Mercury.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington/USGS/Arizona State University.