DESCRIPTION AND
DATA SHEET

Discovery Rupes
Discovery Region, Mercury

A prominent topographic scarp, Discovery Rupes, crosses this Mariner 10 stereo view of Mercury. This scarp is roughly 650 kilometers long and 2 kilometers high.

Discovery Rupes crosses two old impact craters, the largest of which is 70 kilometers across. Both of these craters have been shortened in diameter, indicating that Discovery Rupes is a thrust scarp and that the crust of Mercury has been compressed laterally. The trace of the fault scarp can be seen on the floors of these craters.

Several of these lobate scarps cross the surface of Mercury. They indicate that the size of Mercury decreased slightly early in its history. This shrinkage was due to global cooling of the interior, causing the outer surface to crumple like the skin of a dried apple.

DATA SHEET (Top)

Location:
     56.5 S, 41.0 W
Quadrangle:
     H-11 (Discovery)
Mission:
     Mariner 10
Image Numbers:
     27399, 166619
Image Resolution
(Full-Sized View):
     439 meters
Image Width:
     380 kilometers
Vertical Exaggeration:
     4.2 × Normal
Vertical Resolution:
     122 meters
Spacecraft Altitude:
     46,200 kilometers
Convergence Angle:
     42°