Open AccessMercury's crust likely made of magnesium‐rich basalt
Author(s) -
Schultz Colin
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2013eo100010
Subject(s) - mercury (programming language) , crust , volcano , planet , basalt , astrobiology , geology , geochemistry , magnesium , mineralogy , materials science , physics , astronomy , metallurgy , computer science , programming language
With both X‐ray and gamma‐ray spectrometers, the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging probe (MESSENGER), which entered orbit around Mercury in 2011, is well equipped for carrying out a detailed compositional analysis of Mercury's crust, the understanding of which could help determine the nature of the planet's formation and of its volcanic past.