Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmdi33b..01z&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #DI33B-01
Mathematics
Logic
[5430] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Interiors, [5455] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Origin And Evolution, [6235] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mercury, [6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon
Scientific paper
Mercury and the Moon are examples of primordial, differentiated silicate planetary bodies. In addition to their similarity in size, their respective surfaces show numerous first-order geologic similarities: both retain heavily cratered crusts that date from the earliest times after accretion, both have been shaped predominantly by impact, and both contain a massive impact basin - Caloris on Mercury and South Pole-Aitken on the Moon - that have excavated to many kilometers depth and distributed excavated material planet wide. In contrast, the interiors of these bodies, to the extent they are understood, are strikingly different. On the basis of its mass, volume and present-day magnetic field Mercury is believed to have an iron or iron-rich core, still partially molten with an active dynamo, that is of order three-quarters of the planet’s radius. The Moon, in contrast, on the basis of mass volume, moment of inertia, Love number, absence of a present-day magnetic field and paleomagnetic signatures of lunar samples, is believed to have a small iron core, slightly molten, no more than a quarter of the planetary radius and conceivably considerably smaller. Crustal thickness bounds have been loosely constrained on Mercury from tectonics, degree-2 gravity and shape and rheological considerations, while crustal thickness has been mapped globally on the Moon using topography and gravity constrained by various inversions of Apollo seismic observations. Geodynamical processes that operated in the interiors of these bodies contribute to evolution of the surfaces; specifically, the timing and distribution of volcanism and tectonics show important differences. Observations from Mariner 10, Earth-based radar and three MESSENGER flybys have contributed to knowledge of Mercury’s current state, while understanding of the lunar interior has come from data from numerous orbiters, landers, and geophysical packages deployed by Apollo astronauts. Upcoming orbital observations of Mercury from MESSENGER beginning in March 2011, and of the Moon from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter currently in orbit and GRAIL to be launched in September 2011 hold the promise of greatly advancing understanding of the interior structures of these bodies and their influence on thermal and geological evolution.
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