Mercury's Surprising Shrinkage Continues, Reveals New Study
New research suggests that Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is still shrinking. The planet's interior has been cooling down, causing its rock and metal composition to contract. The shrinking has resulted in the development of thrust faults on Mercury's surface, known as lobate scarps. These scarps are believed to be about 3 billion years old, but recent evidence indicates that some of them have continued to move in geologically recent times. The findings were based on observations of small fractures called grabens, which suggest that the latest movement on Mercury's surface occurred within the past 300 million years. The joint European/Japanese BepiColombo mission, set to orbit Mercury in 2026, will provide further confirmation of these findings.
