Mercury has a cratered appearance, just like Earth’s moon. Geological features found on Mercury include long ridges, and impact basins. They are formed by the shrinkage of mercury’s crust which cools from a past molten state, as well as comets crashing into mercury. Mountain ranges also form due to the converging of seismic waves which form because of large impact collisions by meteors.
Mercury has an iron core with a rather thin mantle of about 610km thick and is 5.4 times denser than water. A global magnetic field has been detected around Mercury. This is formed by the partially molten iron core which sparks off magnetism. High radar reflectivity at the north and south poles of mercury led to speculation that frozen water exists on the north and south poles of mercury just like earth. Life does not exist on mercury, probably due to the extreme temperature fluctuations, from –300F in the night to 830F in the day.
Geography:
- Cratered
- Long ridges
- Impact basins
- The shrinking of mercury’s crust forms the long ridges and impact basins. Her crust had actually cooled from a molten state, into a solid state.
- Mercury has no plate tectonics. It has an old surface
- Mercury has a thin and highly instable atmosphere. It consists of particles of its surface blown off by Solar Wind. They rise and drift off into space due to Mercury’s extreme warm temperature and initially weak atmosphere. Then, newer particles get released into Mercury’s atmosphere again
Anatomy:
- Iron core
- Thin silicate mantle and crust
- The partially molten iron core gives Mercury a weak magnetic field
- Mercury has a highly eccentric orbit and has a great difference in its aphelion and perihelion
- Mercury is the densest planet in our Solar System
Chemical composition:
- High radar reflectivity on Mercury’s poles
- Led to the belief that frozen water exists on Mercury
- Terrestrial or rocky planet
- Composed of rock and metal with high densities, slow rotation, solid surfaces, no rings and few satellites.
The reason for the inner planets to be much denser and comprises mostly of much more massive materials like rocks is purely because when the Sun is first formed, the light it gives out, the photons, push the lighter materials away from it. The heavier terrestrial protoplanets remain as the inner planets, while the Jovian protoplanets get swiped far out into the solar system, where they condense to form the outer planets. Climate:
Mercury’s temperature fluctuates from –300F in the night to 830F in the day.
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