Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p41a1594r&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P41A-1594
Physics
[5475] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Tectonics, [6235] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mercury, [8149] Tectonophysics / Planetary Tectonics
Scientific paper
Images from the Mariner 10 flybys of Mercury demonstrated the widespread occurrence of lobate scarps over the ~45% of the surface imaged by that spacecraft. Lobate scarps are linear to arcuate structures that are tens to hundreds of kilometers long, have topographic relief of hundreds of meters to kilometers, and are interpreted as the surface expression of major thrust faults. Flybys of Mercury by the MESSENGER spacecraft confirmed that lobate scarps are the dominant tectonic feature over nearly the entire planet. Ranging to the surface by the Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) since MESSENGER's orbit insertion on March 18, 2011, has yielded hundreds of topographic profiles, largely over Mercury's northern hemisphere. We utilize MLA measurements of lobate scarp topography to constrain fault models and mechanical properties of Mercury's lithosphere. Mean along-track resolution of the MLA data is approximately 300 m, but cross-track spacing varies with latitude, so we currently confine our analyses to individual profiles. Overlaying MLA profiles on images taken by the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) allows the relief and morphology of lobate surface scarps in Mercury's northern hemisphere to be characterized. Many of these features display the expected signature for lithospheric flexure in response to bending moments applied at underlying thrust faults. We model these faults and their accompanying flexure by means of a mechanical model of the lithosphere that includes an elastic plate overlying an inviscid substrate to accommodate buoyancy forces. Model parameters that are varied are the geometry of the fault and the thickness of the effective elastic lithosphere. Long-wavelength pre-scarp topography is estimated by first de-trending the profiles. We estimate the thickness of the mechanical lithosphere via the relationship between bending moment and plate curvature given a yield strength envelope for Mercury's lithosphere. Comparison of model profiles to the MLA profiles over lobate scarps provides information on the local mechanical thickness of the lithosphere in the northern hemisphere of Mercury.
Andreas Ritzer J.
Barnouin Olivier S.
Hauck Steven A.
Johnson Clifton L.
Mazarico Erwan
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