Discovery Rupes
Encyclopedia
Discovery Rupes is an escarpment
on Mercury
approximately 650 kilometres (403.9 mi) long and 2 kilometers (6,562 feet) high, located at latitude 56.3 S and longitude 38.3 W. 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. The scarp cuts through Rameau crater
.
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
on Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
approximately 650 kilometres (403.9 mi) long and 2 kilometers (6,562 feet) high, located at latitude 56.3 S and longitude 38.3 W. It was formed by a thrust fault
Thrust fault
A thrust fault is a type of fault, or break in the Earth's crust across which there has been relative movement, in which rocks of lower stratigraphic position are pushed up and over higher strata. They are often recognized because they place older rocks above younger...
, thought to have occurred due to the shrinkage of the planet's core
Planetary core
The planetary core consists of the innermost layer of a planet.The core may be composed of solid and liquid layers, while the cores of Mars and Venus are thought to be completely solid as they lack an internally generated magnetic field. In our solar system, core size can range from about 20% to...
as it cooled over time. The scarp cuts through Rameau crater
Rameau (crater)
Rameau is a crater on Mercury at latitude -54, longitude 38. It is 50 km in diameter. It was named after Jean Philippe Rameau....
.