Planetary scientists commonly compare and contrast the geologic features
found on different planetary bodies, to learn about the similar processes
that operated throughout the Solar System and to understand how each
planet is different and unique. This figure, recently published in
Science magazine, shows wrinkle-ridge rings on both Mercury (upper image)
and Mars (lower image) that look quite similar. Wrinkle ridges arrayed in
such a ring are interpreted to trace the rim of an impact crater that was
nearly or completely flooded by lavas prior to ridge formation. Wrinkle
ridges are created by forces that compress the crust horizontally. A
buried crater rim can concentrate the near-surface forces and cause the
wrinkle ridges to form a ring. The presence of wrinkle-ridge rings is thus
good evidence that volcanism helped to shape the surfaces of both Mars and
Mercury.
Date Acquired: January 14, 2008
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): A: 108826972
Instrument: A: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Mars Image: B: Mars Express High-Resolution Stereo Camera nadir image h2660_0001
These images are from MESSENGER, a NASA Discovery mission to conduct the
first orbital study of the innermost planet, Mercury. For information
regarding the use of images, see the MESSENGER image use policy.