Mercury - A post-Mariner 10 assessment

Abstract

The paper reviews the analyses of the imagery since the Mariner 10 flight, and considers the implications for the surface evolution of the terrestrial planets. Mercury is probably differentiated into a large iron-rich core and a thin silicate mantle. It differs from the moon by having (1) large areas of old intercrater plains, (2) a wide-spread distribution of lobate scarps, and (3) a similar albedo between young smooth plains and the older mercurian highlands. The origin of Mercury's plains and lobate scarps is discussed, and it is concluded that the crater diameter density distribution on the moon, Mars, and Mercury indicates that all the terrestrial planets experienced intense bombardment early in their histories, and that the objects responsible for this bombardment probably belonged to the same population(s).