Volcanic Activity Shaped Mercury After All

PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Friday, July 4, 2008 Source: Brown University Image: Volcanic Clue Scientists led by Brown planetary geologist Jim Head zeroed in on this kidney-shaped volcanic vent (at right and center), surrounded by a halo-like ring and a fainter outer ring, to help confirm that Mercury's surface had been formed by volcanic activity early in the planet's history. The image was taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft as it flew past Mercury in January 2008. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington A research team led by Brown University planetary geologist James Head has determined that volcanism played a central role in forming Mercury's surface. The evidence of volcanic activity lends important insights into Mercury's geologic history and appears in a... [read full story]