7.2 Mercury and the Moon: Geologically Dead
• Learning Goal:
• Was there ever geological activity on the Moon or Mercury?
Mercury
craters
smooth plains,
cliffs
Moon
craters,
smooth plains
Moon
• Volcanic activity 3 billion years ago flooded lunar craters, creating lunar maria.
• The Moon is now geologically dead.
Mercury
• Plenty of craters ­ including a huge ‘basin’
• Smooth plains from volcanism (recent or long ago???)
• Messenger spacecraft currently in orbit
Mercury shrank!
Long, steep cliffs formed when Mercury's core cooled, shrinking the planet by ~20 km.
Mercury is now geologically dead.
What have we learned?
• Was there ever geological activity on the Moon or Mercury?
• Both the Moon and Mercury had some volcanism and tectonics when they were young. However, because of their small sizes, their interiors long ago cooled too much for ongoing geological activity.