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Science 10 January 1997:
Vol. 275. no. 5297, pp. 197 - 200
DOI: 10.1126/science.275.5297.197
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Reports

Recalibrated Mariner 10 Color Mosaics: Implications for Mercurian Volcanism

Mark S. Robinson * and Paul G. Lucey

Recalibration of Mariner 10 color image data allows the identification of distinct color units on the mercurian surface. We analyze these data in terms of opaque mineral abundance, iron content, and soil maturity and find color units consistent with the presence of volcanic deposits on Mercury's surface. Additionally, materials associated with some impact craters have been excavated from a layer interpreted to be deficient in opaque minerals within the crust, possibly analogous to the lunar anorthosite crust. These observations suggest that Mercury has undergone complex differentiation like the other terrestrial planets and the Earth's moon.

M. S. Robinson, United States Geological Survey, 2255 North Gemini Drive, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86001, USA.
P. G. Lucey, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: robinson{at}flagmail.wr.usgs.gov

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The Evolution of Mercury's Crust: A Global Perspective from MESSENGER.
B. W. Denevi, M. S. Robinson, S. C. Solomon, S. L. Murchie, D. T. Blewett, D. L. Domingue, T. J. McCoy, C. M. Ernst, J. W. Head, T. R. Watters, et al. (2009)
Science 324, 613-618
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Reflectance and Color Variations on Mercury: Regolith Processes and Compositional Heterogeneity.
M. S. Robinson, S. L. Murchie, D. T. Blewett, D. L. Domingue, S. E. Hawkins III, J. W. Head, G. M. Holsclaw, W. E. McClintock, T. J. McCoy, R. L. McNutt Jr., et al. (2008)
Science 321, 66-69
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Volcanism on Mercury: Evidence from the First MESSENGER Flyby.
J. W. Head, S. L. Murchie, L. M. Prockter, M. S. Robinson, S. C. Solomon, R. G. Strom, C. R. Chapman, T. R. Watters, W. E. McClintock, D. T. Blewett, et al. (2008)
Science 321, 69-72
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Redox Conditions on Small Bodies, the Moon and Mars.
M. Wadhwa (2008)
Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry 68, 493-510
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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