Geological Mapping of the Neruda Quadrangle (H13), Mercury

Introduction: 

The Neruda Quadrangle (H-13), Mercury, is one of the final uncharted regions on the planet. With ESA-JAXA’s BepiColombo mission underway, it is imperative that a full set of comprehensive geological maps is produced prior to the spacecraft’s arrival, to provide context for BepiColombo’s studies. Geological mapping of H-13 has commenced as part of the PLANMAP project to map the entire planet at a scale of 1:3M [1–7].

 

Data and Methods: 

The primary base map to be used is the 166m/pixel high-resolution monochrome global mosaic. Additionally, the 665m/pixel enhanced colour global mosaic as well as narrow-angle camera (NAC) images are used for interpretation and quality control. All data were obtained by MESSENGER’s Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS). ArcGIS software is used for mapping following both USGS and PLANMAP practices. The map is projected as a Lambert Conformable Conic. To enable accurate correlation with neighbouring quadrangles, a 5° overlap is being mapped.

 

Mapping Units and Features: 

Mercury’s geological terrains are divided into four overarching units: Crater Materials, Smooth Plains, Intermediate Plains and Intercrater Plains [8]. Crater Materials are further subdivided based on the degree of crater degradation with both three class [2] and five class classifications being mapped [8].

Structural features such as lobate scarps, wrinkle ridges and high-relief ridges are distinguished using linework.

 

Acknowledgements:

Gratitude is given to STFC and the Open University Space Strategic Research Area that make this research possible (ST/T506321/1). PLANMAP is European Commission H2020 grant 776276.

 

References:

[1] Galluzzi et al (2017) EGU G. Assembly. [2] Galluzzi et al (2016) JoM, 12, 227–238. [3] Mancinelli et al (2016) JoM, 12, 190–202. [4] Guzzetta et al (2017) JoM, 3, 227–238. [5] Wright et al (2019) JoM, 15, 509–520. [6] Pegg et al (2019) LPSC Abstracts. [7] Malliband et al (2019) LPSC Abstracts. [8] Spudis & Guest (1988) Mercury.