MAPPING OF CRATERS, KARSH CRATER, FAULT RECOGNITION AND MEASUREMENT OF VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT USING CRATERS ON MERCURY. PLATE TECTONICS IN MERCURY. New research and developments in the field of space exploration. Structural Geology, Extraterrestrial tectonics. Faults in Mercury.

1. Department of Applied Geology
Dr. Hari Singh Gour Vishwavidyalaya,
(A Central University),
Sagar M. P.
Guided By: Presented By:
Dr. Gaurav K. Singh Devraj Singh
Prof. P. K. Kathal M.Tech 1st Sem
Reg. No Y21251021
PRESENTATION ON
CRATER MAPPING AND RECOGNITION OF FAULTS
ON MERCURY

2. 1. Introduction
2. Mercury Tectonics
3. Mercury Craters
4. Recognition of Faults
5. Conclusion
Contents:

3. Introduction
Mercury is the least explored rocky planet in the
solar system.
Only two space probes, Mariner 10(1974-75) and
MESSENGER(2011) have been sent by NASA to
explore the planet.
The surface of Mercury is heavily cratered and
looks similar to Earth’s moon.
Fig-1. Mercury
https://images.app.goo.gl/GAdra
oEAvjm6qsB17

4. Tectonics of Mercury
• Mercury is the only tectonically active planet apart from Earth in our
Solar System.
• There is a single giant plate making up all of the lithosphere.
• It still has a molten core, like Earth does. As Mercury's core slowly
cools, the density of that core increases and it gets slightly smaller.
• Hence the planet is going through global contraction.
https://slideplayer.com/slide/3127399/
Fig.2 Contraction of Mercurcy’s Crust

5. Evidences of Contraction
1.Lobate Scarps: linear or arcuate features
asymmetric in cross section, having a steep
scarp face and a gently sloping back scarp.
2.High-relief ridges: symmetric in cross
section with greater relief than wrinkle ridges.
3.Wrinkle ridges: landforms that reflect
folding and thrust faulting, found largely in
smooth plains within and exterior to the
Caloris basin.
Fig-3. Lobate Scarps
Fig-4. Wrinkle
ridges
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_page
s/messenger/multimedia/ridges_cra
ters.html
https://www.windows2universe.org/m
ercury/Interior_Surface/Surface/wrink
le_ridges.html

6. Extension
The Caloris basin has the only clear
evidence of broad-scale, extensional
deformation. It`s one of the youngest
multi-ring basins(diameter>100km).
Most of the grabens are formed because
of breaking up of the crust in polygonal
patterns as evident in the Dario Crater
here.
Fig-5.- Dario Crater: Normal faults
marked in red.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/thumb/d/de/Mozart_crater_E
W0250768116G.jpg/600px-
Mozart_crater_EW0250768116G.jpg

7. Mercury Craters
Most craters on Mercury are comparatively deeper
than Mars and the Moon.
Primary Craters- These craters are formed by the
bombardment of asteroids, meteors directly on the
planet’s surface.
Secondary Craters- These craters are formed by
the impact of ejected material.
Fig-6. Sinan Crater.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin
an_(crater)

8. Mapping of Craters
The surface of each crater can be classified into different units
based on data types such as:
1. Tone
2. Texture
3. Topography
4. Shadows

9. Mapping the Karsh Crater
Fig-7.a) MDIS B/W image of Karsh
Crater.
Fig-7.b) Mapped image of the same
crater.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kars
h_(crater)
N

10. A table representing all the mapped units
present on the crater surface.

11. Recognition of Faults
In cases where the fault cross-cuts the rim of the crater the
horizontal displacement Dx as well as the type of the fault i.e.
Normal, Reverse or Strike-slip can be easily calculated.
• Measuring Dx/horizontal displacement
For Dx, a circle is drawn as the best fit of the rim portion on one
side of the faulted crater.
Since displacement has occurred the circle won’t fit on the
opposite side of the crater rim hence the unfitted part indicates the
slip component.
The unfitted part of the rim will consequently be either outside or
inside the circle;
1. If outside, it can be stated that the crater was extended by a
normal fault.
Fig-8 . Normal Fault:
FF’ is the fault plane.

12. 2. If inside, the crater was shortened by a
reverse fault.
The yellow and pink circles fits the rim on
the hanging wall and on the footwall of the
thrust, respectively.
3. In the case of a pure strike-slip fault, half
the unfitted part of the rim will lie inside the
circle and half will lie outside.
Fig-9. Reverse Fault
Ref.- Same as Fig-9.
Fig-10 . Strike-slip
fault

13. Measuring Dh/Vertical component
 For vertical component:-Dh, DTM(Data Terrain
Models) are used.
 Here simply, the elevation of the rim portion of
both the blocks(foot wall and hanging wall) are
taken and profiles are drawn parallel to the slip
trend.
 Through the profile BB’, DX and Dh can be
calculated easily and once these two values are
known, a number of fault parameters can be
easily derived. Fig 11. Profiles parallel to
slip trend
Fig 12. Cross section of profile BB’.
https://www.researchgate.net/p
ublication/266436983_Faulted_
craters_as_indicators_for_thrus
t_motions_on_Mercury/figures
?lo=1

14. Conclusion
1. A brief idea of:-
a. Mercury Tectonics
b. Craters
c. Recognition of Faults.
2. Errors and limitations in the Circle method of recognition of
faults.
3. Future Prospects and further exploration.
4 How are Plate Tectonics, Magnetic field and a dense atmosphere
inter-related ?

15. References
1. Books and Research papers
Watters, T.R., Nimmo,F.(2009). The tectonics of Mercury. Planetary Tectonics,
PP- 1-57.
Galluzzi Valentina et.al. (2014). Faulted Craters as indicators for thrust motions
on Mercury. Geological Society London Special Publications.
2. Video lectures
Mercury Tectonics Part 1,2, KC_Structuraleology.
 https://youtu.be/bG3DnzCDMSg
 https://youtu.be/yRkf4fB1c18
3. URLs
https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/mercurys-recent-tectonics-
revealed/#:~:text=Mercury%20has%20faults%2C%20but%20it,and%20are%2
0called%20lobate%20scarps.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/mercury-is-
tectonically-active-making-uniquely-like-earth-180960636/

16. Thank You