Evaluation of the origin hypotheses of Pantheon Fossae, central Caloris basin, Mercury

Klimczak, C.; Schultz, R. A.; Nahm, A. L.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.04.014

Cited by 20 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…1a, b). This pattern resembles to first order the arrangement of structures within the Caloris basin, the largest preserved impact structure on Mercury Watters et al 2009b;Byrne et al 2012), in which individual sets of radial and concentric landforms are most probably due to multiple episodes of deformation (Strom et al 1975;Melosh & McKinnon 1988;Watters et al 2005Watters et al , 2009cKlimczak et al 2010). Notably, the Rembrandt basin and its smooth plains are crosscut by an 820 km-long scarp system (Watters et al 2009a;Byrne et al 2014), which trends approximately east-west outside the basin before bending towards the NE within the basin itself (white arrows in Fig.…”

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confidence: 69%

“…The distinctive arrangement of structures observed within volcanically infilled and buried impact basins and craters on Mercury (Watters et al 2009bHead et al 2011;Fassett et al 2012;Klimczak et al 2012) may have resulted from the cooling of low-viscosity lava flows emplaced as rapidly accumulated, thick units against a backdrop of pervasive global contraction Watters et al 2012). Within the largest basins in particular, the load of volcanic infill could have induced subsidence and, consequently, the formation of radial and concentric wrinkle ridges (Watters et al 2009b, whereas vertical motion (Dzurisin 1978;Melosh & Dzurisin 1978;Blair et al 2013) or inward flow of lower crustal material triggered by basin formation (Watters et al 2005;Watters & Nimmo 2010) could have promoted subsequent uplift of basin centres and the formation of radial and concentric graben (Watters et al 2009c;Klimczak et al 2010;Byrne et al 2013). Alternatively, such distinctive patterns of extensional features in Mercury's largest impact basins may have formed due to the thermal contraction of rapidly emplaced lava flow on the basin floor Byrne et al 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Age relationships of the Rembrandt basin and Enterprise Rupes, Mercury

Ferrari

Massironi

Marchi

et al. 2014

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The Rembrandt basin is the largest well-preserved impact feature in the southern hemisphere of Mercury. Its smooth volcanic infill hosts wrinkle ridges and graben, and the entire basin is cross-cut by the Enterprise Rupes scarp system. On the basis of the Model Production Function crater chronology, our analysis shows that the formation of the Rembrandt basin occurred at 3.8±0.1 Ga during the Late Heavy Bombardment, consistent with previous studies. We also find that the smooth plains interior to the basin were emplaced between 3.7 and 3.6±0.1 Ga, indicative of a resurfacing event within the Rembrandt basin that is consistent with the presence of partially buried craters. These youngest plains appear temporally unrelated to basin formation, and so we regard their origin as likely to be due to volcanism.We identify the same chronological relationship for the terrain cross-cut by Enterprise Rupes to the west of the basin. Therefore, volcanic activity affected both the basin and its surroundings, but ended prior to the majority of basin and regional-scale tectonic deformation. If Enterprise Rupes formed prior to the Rembrandt basin, then regional-scale tectonic activity along this structure might have lasted at least 200 myr

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confidence: 69%

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Age relationships of the Rembrandt basin and Enterprise Rupes, Mercury

Ferrari

Massironi

Marchi

et al. 2014

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“…In fact, the subsurface structure of the Caloris basin should have many faults that penetrate deeper into the interior of Mercury at the edge of the basin [ Klimczak et al , ], thus favoring a deeper source for explosive volcanism, as often suggested for the Moon [ Gaddis et al , ]. Klimczak et al [] also suggests that the center part of Caloris, Pantheon Fossae, is most likely to have been formed as the result of doming in the central part, probably caused by a magma chamber. If confirmed, this doming would have made access to the surface more difficult for late‐stage volcanism, and this could explain why no candidates for explosive volcanism are identified in the central part of Caloris.…”

Section: Mercury's Volcanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectroscopic properties of explosive volcanism within the Caloris basin with MESSENGER observations

2015

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Volcanism on Mercury has been indisputably identified at various locations on the surface, by means of both effusive and explosive volcanism. Its characterization is crucial to understand the evolution of the planet, in particular the thermal evolution of the mantle, and the volatile content of the planet. This analysis presents a detailed view of the pyroclastic deposits of the Caloris basin. Observations from the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) are used to understand the spectral characteristics of the pyroclastic deposits, both in the visible and near‐infrared. Additional calibration steps are proposed to reconcile the difference of absolute reflectance between the visible (VIS) and near‐infrared (NIR) detectors. These calibration steps allow the use of the full spectral range of the MASCS instrument. Pyroclastic deposits exhibit a redder spectral slope in the VIS and NIR. This spectral slope diminishes toward the edge of the deposits to match that of Mercury's average surface. Spectral properties in the ultraviolet (UV) also change as a function of distance to the vent. Only the UV properties unambiguously separate the pyroclastic deposits from Mercury's average spectra. The spectral variations are consistent with a lower iron content of the pyroclastic deposits with respect to the average surface of Mercury, similar to what has been proposed for pyrolcastic deposits on the lunar surface. Nonetheless, given the limited illumination conditions diversity of the MASCS instrument, other causes such as grain size, space weathering, and bulk composition could also be accounted for the spectral variations. Variability of the pyroclastic deposits' properties within the entire basin are potentially identified between the three main clusters, and could be related to space weathering of deposits of different ages.

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“…Although smooth plains are abundant, the surface of the innermost planet lacks the large shield constructs and abundant erosional rilles commonly observed on other volcanic worlds [e.g. Hulme , ; Whitford‐Stark and Head , ; Greeley and Spudis , ; Head et al ., ; Schenk et al ., ], and evidence for intrusive activity is also scarce [ Head et al ., ; Klimczak et al ., ].…”

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confidence: 99%

An assemblage of lava flow features on Mercury

et al. 2013

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[1] In contrast to other terrestrial planets, Mercury does not possess a great variety of volcanic features, its history of volcanism instead largely manifest by expansive smooth plains. However, a set of landforms at high northern latitudes on Mercury resembles surface flow features documented on Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Venus. The most striking of such landforms are broad channels that host streamlined islands and that cut through the surrounding intercrater plains. Together with narrower, more sinuous channels, coalesced depressions, evidence for local flooding of intercrater plains by lavas, and a first-order analysis of lava flow rates, the broad channels define an assemblage of flow features formed by the overland flow of, and erosion by, voluminous, high-temperature, low-viscosity lavas. This interpretation is consistent with compositional data suggesting that substantial portions of Mercury's crust are composed of magnesian, iron-poor lithologies. Moreover, the proximity of this partially flooded assemblage to extensive volcanic plains raises the possibility that the formation of these flow features may preface total inundation of an area by lavas emplaced in a flood mode and that they escaped complete burial only due to a waning magmatic supply. Finally, that these broad channels on Mercury are volcanic in nature yet resemble outflow channels on Mars, which are commonly attributed to catastrophic water floods, implies that aqueous activity is not a prerequisite for the formation of such distinctive landforms on any planetary body.

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Evaluation of the origin hypotheses of Pantheon Fossae, central Caloris basin, Mercury

Cited by 20 publications

References 30 publications

Age relationships of the Rembrandt basin and Enterprise Rupes, Mercury

Age relationships of the Rembrandt basin and Enterprise Rupes, Mercury

Spectroscopic properties of explosive volcanism within the Caloris basin with MESSENGER observations

An assemblage of lava flow features on Mercury

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