NASA Mercury Probe Finds Unusual Groups of Ridges And Troughs On The Planet
April Flowers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
MESSENGER, in orbit around Mercury since March of last year, has discovered assemblages of tectonic landforms unlike any previously found on Mercury or elsewhere in the Solar System. Smithsonian scientist Thomas Watters published the findings in the December issue of Geology.
Mercury’s surface is covered with deformational landforms, formed by faulting in response to horizontal contraction or shortening that occurred as the planet’s interior cooled and the surface shrank. This caused blocks of crustal material to be pushed together. This type of land formation is so dominant on Mercury that extensional landforms caused by fault formation in response to horizontal stretching and pulling apart of crustal material has only been documented in the interiors of a few large impact basins.
The MESSENGER spacecraft has revealed families of extensional troughs, or graben, which are encircled by contractional wrinkle ridges arranged in circular rings. Such troughs can form complex patterns, which vary from the outlines of polygons inside the ridge rings to arcs that parallel the bounding ridges.
“The pattern of winkle ridges and graben resembles the raised edge and cracks in a pie crust,” said Watters of the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum.
Watters’ “pie crust” analogy also fits the “ghost craters,” which are associated with these collections of tectonic landforms. Impact craters that have been flooded and buried by lava flows are known as ghost craters, which are fully buried impact craters with thin volcanic deposits overlying the rim. These serve to concentrate contractional forces, leading to the formation of a ridge ring that reveals the outline of the buried crater.
“The special arrangement of the wrinkle ridges and graben in many of the ghost craters on Mercury is due to a combination of extensional forces from cooling and contraction of unusually thick lava flow units and contractional forces from cooling and contraction of the planet’s interior,” says Sean Solomon of the Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
The reason why these systems of tectonic landforms in ghost craters on Mercury may not have been observed elsewhere in the Solar System because of the eruption and rapid accumulation of very fluid lava flows into thick cooling units on a planet undergoing a high rate of global contraction.
redOrbit.com
offers Science, Space, Technology, Health news, videos, images and
reference information. For the latest science news, space news,
technology news, health news visit redOrbit.com frequently. Learn
something new every day.\”
2012-11-16 10:38:39
Source:
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
LION'S MANE PRODUCT
Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules
Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.
Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.
| Visits: | 1,706,924,566 |
| Stories: | 8,446,772 |
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
