Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Apr 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja....13811w&link_type=abstract
EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #13811
Mathematics
Logic
Scientific paper
An understanding of the spatial, azimuthal, and temporal distribution of tectonic features on Mercury is important in constraining thermal history models and determining the origin of tectonic stresses. The dominant tectonic landforms on Mercury are lobate scarps, high-relief ridges, and wrinkle ridges. All three of these structural-types are interpreted to be the results of either thrust faulting, high-angle reverse faulting, and/or folding. The structures are being digitized from Mariner 10 image mosaics with improved radiometry and geometric rectification. Digital elevation models produced in a parallel effort from Mariner 10 stereo coverage are also used where available. The stereo topography is particularly useful in identifying tectonic features in areas where the lighting geometry is not optimal for morphologic analysis (incidence angle <40^o). Conservative criteria for classifying landforms as tectonic features (e.g., clear evidence of offset along lobate scarps) also help to minimize observational bias. The tectonic features are divided into segments with roughly uniform orientations generally greater than 5 km in length. Thus far the locations of ˜90 lobate scarps and high-relief ridges (over 450 segments) have been digitized and coded according to the structure-type and the geologic unit in which they occur. An analysis of the lobate scarps and high-relief ridges indicates that their spatial distribution is not uniform. Over ˜52% of the total cumulative length these structures are between 30^oS to 90^oS. The greatest area-normalized cumulative length of the mapped tectonic features occurs in the south polar region. In the northern hemisphere, there is a gradual decrease in the area-normalized cumulative length from the equator northward, with the exception of the north polar region. The azimuthal distribution is also not uniform. A strong preferred orientation is indicated by the length-weighted azimuths of the digitized segments. The most frequently occurring orientations are between N30^oW and N40^oW with the mean vector at ˜N7^oW. These observations do not support the two most commonly cited models for the origin of the tectonic stresses on Mercury, global contraction and tidal despinning. Thus, alternative sources of compressional stress must be sought. The large number of tectonic features in the southern hemisphere may indicate that a regional- or hemispheric-scale tectonic event dominated over a global-scale event. The key to understanding this tectonic event may lie in the half of the southern hemisphere not imaged by Mariner 10. New images and topographic data returned by MESSENGER and Bepi Colombo are essential to unraveling the tectonic history of Mercury.
Robinson Michael
Watters T.
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