Exploring Mercury : The Iron Planet

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ISBN: 9781852337315 | 1852337311
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 9/1/2003

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Strom: Mercury How did Mercury get such an enormous iron core? Why is its tectonic framework so different from any other planet or satellite? What is its crystal composition? Why is the crust so depleted in iron when the interior is so rich in that element? What are the polar deposits? Where do the elements in the exosphere come from? Mercury is a planet shrouded in mystery. Only 45 percent of its surface has been seen in any detail, and that was from the Mariner 10 flyby in 1974. Yet what is known only makes the planet more fascinating. New Earth-based observations have shed light on surface and exosphere compositions, and re-evaluations of the Mariner 10 data, using modern image processing techniques, show evidence for volcanic flow fronts, pyroclastics and other volcanic phenomena not seen before. This ground-breaking book not only chronicles what has been discovered, but looks ahead to what has yet to emerge. An accompanying CD contains all the best Mariner 10 images, including the data for each image, photomosaics and maps.

Preface

Acknowledgements

xiii

Figures

Tables

xxv

Colour plates

xxvii

Information on CD

xix

1 The twilight planet

(12)

1.1 The planet closest to the Sun

(1)

1.2 Earliest observations and recording in mythology

(1)

1.3 Early telescopic observations

(4)

1.4 Modern telescopic observations

(2)

1.5 Research telescopic facilities

(4)

1.5.1 Mt. Wilson Observatory

(1)

1.5.2 Swedish Vacuum Solar Telescope

(1)

1.5.3 Future observations

(3)

2 The Mariner 10 mission

(24)

2.1 The only one

(1)

2.2 Mission concept

(3)

2.2.1 NASA chose the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

(1)

2.2.2 A necessary gravity assist

(2)

2.3 The flight plan

(4)

2.3.1 A narrow launch window

(1)

2.3.2 Spacecraft design

(1)

2.3.3 Scientific payload

(3)

2.4 Mariner 10 goes to Mercury

(5)

2.4.1 Launch

(1)

2.4.2 Trouble begins

(2)

2.4.3 Systems restored

(1)

2.4.4 Venus flyby

(2)

2.5 The first mercury encounter - Mercury I

(3)

2.5.1 The first images of the unknown planet

(1)

2.5.2 The first real surprise

2.5.3 A very thin atmosphere, no molecular species found

(7)

2.5.4 Hot, hotter, hottest

(1)

2.6 The second encounter - Mercury II

(5)

2.6.1 Troubles are overcome

(1)

2.6.2 Conflicts over experiments and spacecraft control

(1)

2.6.3 Decisions were made

(1)

2.6.4 Arrival at Mercury

(1)

2.6.5 Some historical precedents set

(3)

2.7 The third encounter - Mercury III

(1)

2.7.1 Loss of the star tracker

(1)

2.7.2 Magnetic field measurements

(1)

2.7.3 Final imaging sequence, diminished but important

(1)

2.8 Mission's end - a job well done, but incomplete

(3)

3 Mercury's motions

(4)

3.1 A day on Mercury

(13)

3.1.1 A highly eccentric orbit

(1)

3.1.2 Fleet-footed messenger of the gods

(1)

3.1.3 Inclined to be noticed

(1)

3.1.4 A slow rotator

(1)

3.1.5 Mercury's strange 3 : 2 spin : orbit resonance

(2)

3.1.6 No seasonal variations

(1)

3.1.7 When its hot, its hot - when its not, its not

(1)

3.2 Mercury and relativity

4 Mercury's size, mass, and density

(14)

4.1 Mercury's size

(1)

4.2 Mass and surface gravity

(8)

4.3 Density

(6)

4.3.1 What are the important issues relating to density?

(2)

4.3.2 Mercury has the greatest uncompressed density of any planet

(4)

5 Mercury's magnetic field and internal constitution

(10)

5.1 A mere thirty minutes

(3)

5.1.1 A significant magnetic field discovered

(1)

5.1.2 Comparison to Earth's magnetic field

(1)

5.1.3 Mercury's magnetic field could be remanent

(1)

5.2 Remanent magnetic fields on the Moon

(1)

5.3 Mar's remanent magnetic fields

(2)

5.4 A new look at old data

(1)

5.5 Interior structure and constitution

(1)

5.5.1 What if there is an active dynamo?

(1)

5.5.2 What if there isn't?

(1)

5.5.3 Relevance of Mercury's surface composition to the magnetic field question

(1)

5.6 Space weather and space weathering on Mercury

(3)

5.6.1 Space weather

(1)

5.6.2 Space weathering

(2)

6 Mercury's surface-bounded exosphere

(8)

6.1 Light emitting gases

(4)

6.1.1 Hydrogen, helium, and oxygen

(1)

6.1.2 A serindipitous discovery

(1)

6.1.3 Sunlight interacting with matter

(1)

6.1.4 Exospheric pressure?

(1)

6.1.5 New discoveries are likely

(2)

6.2 Exospheric atoms and multiple speed components

(1)

6.2.1 Collisions only with the surface

(1)

6.2.2 Detection of Multiple Speed Components

(1)

6.2.3 Atoms in escape

(1)

6.3 Atmospheric source, release, and recycling processes

(3)

6.3.1 Differentiating one source from another

(1)

6.3.2 Ions recycle back to the surface of Mercury in electric fields

(1)

6.3.3 Exosphere and surface link

(2)

7 General surface features and radar characteristics

(18)

7.1 Imaging Mercury

(3)

7.1.1 Photomosaics of one hemisphere

(3)

7.2 Major surface features

(1)

7.2.1 Just another moon?

(1)

7.2.2 Mercury is unique

(1)

7.3 Mapping Mercury

(6)

7.3.1 The coordinate system

(2)

7.3.2 Naming features on Mercury

(1)

7.3.3 Maps and topographic representations

(4)

7.4 Radar characteristics and special features

(8)

7.4.1 Roughness, and equatorial and low latitude topography

(1)

7.4.2 The Goldstein features

(1)

7.4.3 Radar observations discover highly backscattering polar deposits

(6)

8 Surface composition

(20)

8.1 Albedo and color

(5)

8.1.1 Mercury's EUV, UV-VIS, and near-IR albedo

(1)

8.1.2 Changes of albedo with phase change

(1)

8.1.3 Spectral slope and "maturity"

(3)

8.2 Materials of terrestrial planetary surfaces

(2)

8.3 Mercury's surface composition

(10)

8.3.1 Measuring surface composition with a telescope

(1)

8.3.2 Visible and near-IR spectroscopy

(1)

8.3.3 The FEO band in lunar spectra

(1)

8.3.4 The FEO band in Mercurian spectra

100

(1)

8.3.5 Mid-IR spectroscopy

101

(1)

8.3.6 Volume scattering region

101

(2)

8.3.7 Reststrahlen bands and emissivity maxima (EM)

103

(2)

8.3.8 Transparency minima (TM)

105

(2)

8.3.9 Comparison to the Moon

107

(1)

8.4 Where is the iron at Mercury?

108

(2)

8.4.1 Other terrestrial planets and the asteroid belt abound with oxidized iron

108

(1)

8.4.2 For Mercury, low oxidized iron

109

(1)

8.5 Summary

110

(1)

9 The impact cratering record

111

(30)

9.1 Mercury's most common landform

111

(1)

9.1.1 It all began with the Moon

111

(1)

9.1.2 Three basic crater characteristics

111

(1)

9.2 Crater formation

112

(1)

9.2.1 Energy of impact

112

(1)

9.2.2 Crater diameter and depth

112

(1)

9.2.3 Volatilization and melting of surface and impactor

113

(1)

9.3 Crater morphology

113

9.3.1 Three general crater morphologies

113

(1)

9.3.2 Difference in Physical Properties of Lunar and Mercurian Highlands

114

9.4 Ejecta deposits

111

(8)

9.4.1 Two distinct regions of crater ejecta

117

(1)

9.4.2 Ejecta differences between Mercury and the Moon

117

(1)

9.4.3 Crater degradation

118

(1)

9.5 The caloris and other impact basins

119

(6)

9.6 Hilly and lineated terrain

125

(3)

9.7 Origin of impacting bodies

128

(13)

9.7.1 Asteroids

128

(1)

9.7.2 Elusive vulcanoids

129

(1)

9.7.3 Evidence for two collisional populations

130

(5)

9.7.4 Surfaces younger than the period of heavy bombardment

135

(2)

Relative and absolute ages

137

(2)

9.8.1 Mercury's surface is ancient

139

(1)

9.8.2 Will there be younger terrains on the unimaged side?

139

(2)

10 Plains: smooth and intercrater

141

(16)

10.1 Will the unseen surface of Mercury be covered with plains?

141

(1)

10.2 Mercury has two types of plains

141

(1)

10.3 The intercrater plains, some details

142

(3)

10.3.1 Distribution, age, and morphology

142

(2)

10.3.2 Crater degradation by intercrater plains

144

(1)

10.4 Smooth plains, some details

145

(1)

10.4.1 Distribution, age, and morphology

145

(1)

10.5 Origins of plains

146

(6)

10.5.1 Mercury's smooth plains as impact basin ejecta deposits or impact melt

147

(1)

10.5.2 Mercury's smooth plains as volcanic deposits

148

(3)

10.5.3 Mercury's intercrater plains as volcanic deposits

151

(1)

10.6 Modes of volcanic plains formation

152

(5)

10.6.1 Earth, Mars, and the Moon

152

(1)

10.6.2 Terrestrial magmas and temperature

153

(1)

10.6.3 What type of volcanism occurred on Mercury?

154

(1)

10.6.4 Compositions of Mercury's plains

155

(1)

10.6.5 Mercury's smooth plains composition

155

(2)

11 Tectonics

157

(12)

11.1 Faulting

157

(3)

11.1.1 Fault types and mechanics

158

(2)

11.1.2 Topographic expression

160

(1)

11.2 Mercury's lobate scarps

160

(5)

11.2.1 Thrust faults

160

(1)

11.2.2 Distribution and age

161

(3)

11.2.3 The shrunken planet

164

(1)

11.2.4 Thrusting, lithospheric and crustal thickness

165

(1)

11.3 Other tectonic structures

165

(4)

11.3.1 Grabens and normal faults

165

(1)

11.3.2 Linear structures

165

(1)

11.3.3 Despinning fault pattern

166

(3)

12 History and origin

169

(12)

12.1 Geologic history

169

(1)

12.2 Thermal history

169

(3)

12.2.1 Scenario #1, an active dipole

170

(2)

12.2.2 Scenario #2, a remnant field

172

(1)

12.2.3 No thermal model consistent with the geologic history

172

(1)

12.3 Origin of present day Mercury

172

(2)

12.3.1 Chemical equilibrium models

173

(1)

12.3.2 How did the core get so large?

173

(1)

12.3.3 Which hypothesis is correct?

174

(1)

12.4 Clashing planets

174

(7)

13 Future exploration of Mercury

181

(4)

13.1 We must return to Mercury

181

(1)

13.2 The NASA MESSENGER mission

181

(3)

13.2.1 Mission objectives

182

(1)

13.2.2 Science experiments

183

(1)

13.3 The Europe/Japan Bepi Colombo mission

184

(1)

Appendix A Orbital and physical data for Mercury

185

(2)

Appendix B Glossary of terms

187

(8)

Appendix C Names and locations of Mercury's surface features

195

(8)

Bibliography

203

(8)

Index

211

00306477890

List of Figures

List of Tables

xix

Part I Introduction and Background

1. The Nature of Cattle Plague or Rinderpest

(26)

2. Species Affected and Geographical Distribution

(14)

3. The Seat of Infection

(16)

4. Rinderpest and the Panspermatists: Theories of the Origin of Diseases

(22)

Part II The History of Rinderpest in Europe

5. Rinderpest in History from Ancient Egypt to the 17th Century

(22)

6. Saint Herbot Sleeps: The 18th-Century Ravages in Europe

103

(18)

7. Rinderpest Reaches Britain Again

121

(12)

8. From Seven Years War to Crimean War: A Century of Devastation Continues

133

(28)

9. The Second Great Plague in Britain

161

(28)

10. The Final European Outbreaks

189

(30)

Part III Control Measures, Legislation, and Effects

11. Arguments and Enmities: Simonds and Gamgee

219

(22)

12. Legal Measures of Prevention in the 18th Century

241

(22)

13. Legal Measures after the 18th Century

263

(24)

14. The Royal Commission, Legislative Failure, Insurance, and Government Actions in 19th-Century Britain

287

(20)

15. Political, Economic, and Social Effects

307

(26)

Part IV Cures and Remedies

16. The Search for a Cure: Desperate Diseases Require Desperate Remedies

333

(40)

17. Remedies in the 19th century

373

(24)

18. The Search for a Cure Continued. Inoculation and Vaccination

397

(28)

19. The Breakthrough in Africa

425

(22)

Part V The History of Rinderpest in Asia and Africa

20. Rinderpest in India

447

(20)

21. India and the East

467

(30)

22.The Great African Rinderpest Panzootie

497

(28)

23. The Panzootic Reaches South Africa. March to December 1896

525

(26)

24. The Continuance of Rinderpest in South Africa. 1897 to 1905

551

(20)

25. Rinderpest in Africa in the 20th Century

571

(24)

26. Continuation of Rinderpest in Africa

595

(18)

27. Economic and Social Effects in Africa

613

(26)

28. The Effect of the Panzootic on African Game

639

(20)

29. Specific Effects on African Game

659

(16)

30. Did Rinderpest Exist in Africa Before the Panzootic?

675

(8)

Appendix I. Regulations Now in Force in the German Empire in Regard to Measures Against Rinderpest

683

(8)

Appendix II. Instructions and Decrees Issued by Carl, Duke of Braunschweig and Lüneburg, 1745-82

691

(14)

Appendix III. Statutes, Orders in Council, and Proclamations Concerning Rinderpest in Britain and Ireland 1746-1878

705

(16)

References

721

(34)

Index

755

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Exploring Mercury : The Iron Planet

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials