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The Geophysics of Mercury: Current Status and Anticipated Insights from the MESSENGER Mission

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Abstract

Current geophysical knowledge of the planet Mercury is based upon observations from ground-based astronomy and flybys of the Mariner 10 spacecraft, along with theoretical and computational studies. Mercury has the highest uncompressed density of the terrestrial planets and by implication has a metallic core with a radius approximately 75% of the planetary radius. Mercury’s spin rate is stably locked at 1.5 times the orbital mean motion. Capture into this state is the natural result of tidal evolution if this is the only dissipative process affecting the spin, but the capture probability is enhanced if Mercury’s core were molten at the time of capture. The discovery of Mercury’s magnetic field by Mariner 10 suggests the possibility that the core is partially molten to the present, a result that is surprising given the planet’s size and a surface crater density indicative of early cessation of significant volcanic activity. A present-day liquid outer core within Mercury would require either a core sulfur content of at least several weight percent or an unusual history of heat loss from the planet’s core and silicate fraction. A crustal remanent contribution to Mercury’s observed magnetic field cannot be ruled out on the basis of current knowledge. Measurements from the MESSENGER orbiter, in combination with continued ground-based observations, hold the promise of setting on a firmer basis our understanding of the structure and evolution of Mercury’s interior and the relationship of that evolution to the planet’s geological history.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139-4307, USA

    Maria T. Zuber, Gregory A. Neumann & Sabine Stanley

  2. Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA

    Oded Aharonson

  3. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Jonathan M. Aurnou

  4. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723-6099, USA

    Andrew F. Cheng

  5. Department of Geological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Steven A. Hauck II

  6. Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2J1, Canada

    Moritz H. Heimpel

  7. Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA

    Gregory A. Neumann & David E. Smith

  8. Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    Stanton J. Peale

  9. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    Roger J. Phillips

  10. Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC, 20015, USA

    Sean C. Solomon

  11. Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A7, Canada

    Sabine Stanley

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Correspondence to Maria T. Zuber.

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Zuber, M.T., Aharonson, O., Aurnou, J.M. et al. The Geophysics of Mercury: Current Status and Anticipated Insights from the MESSENGER Mission. Space Sci Rev 131, 105–132 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-007-9265-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-007-9265-4

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