Planetary Science Seminar spring-2021
MESSENGER's View of Hollows on Mercury; Links to the Planet's High Volatile Content.
April 9, 2021,
noon - 1 p.m.
zoom
Presented By:
David Blewett
APL, Johns Hopkins University
Observations by the MESSENGER spacecraft led to the discovery of an unusual landform on Mercury, named “hollows”. Hollows are shallow irregular depressions that appear to form by a process of volatile loss, similar to “sublimation degradation” known on icy surfaces. Hollows are a geomorphological manifestation of the unexpectedly high content of moderately volatile elements in Mercury’s crust.