Hero Rupes
Hero Rupes
Feature typeRupes
Coordinates58°24′S 171°24′W / 58.4°S 171.4°W / -58.4; -171.4[1]
Length300 km[2]
EponymHero (sloop)[1]

Hero Rupes is an escarpment on Mercury more than 300 kilometres (190 miles) long[2] located in the southern hemisphere of Mercury.[1] Discovered by the Mariner 10 spacecraft in 1974, it was formed by a thrust fault, thought to have occurred due to the shrinkage of the planet's core as it cooled over time.[3]

The scarp is named after sloop Hero, Nathaniel Palmer's ship used to explore the Antarctic coast, 1820–21.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Resolution Rupes". USGS. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "PIA02943: 300 Kilometer Long Scarp". NASA/JPL. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  3. ^ Watters, Thomas R.; Solomon, Sean C.; Robinson, Mark S.; et al. (2009). "The tectonics of Mercury: The view after MESSENGER's first flyby". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 285 (3–4): 283–296. Bibcode:2009E&PSL.285..283W. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2009.01.025.


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