Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of Mercury

Estimates of lithospheric strength for Mercury, based on the depth of thrust faults associated with large lobate scarps (which were most probably formed previously to ~3. Ga) or on the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere supporting a broad rise in the northern smooth plains (whose formati...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ruiz, Javier, López, V., Egea-González, I.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/409704
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/409704
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Mercury
Mercury, Interior
Tectonics
Thermal histories
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spelling Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of MercuryRuiz, JavierLópez, V.Egea-González, I.MercuryMercury, InteriorTectonicsThermal historiesEstimates of lithospheric strength for Mercury, based on the depth of thrust faults associated with large lobate scarps (which were most probably formed previously to ~3. Ga) or on the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere supporting a broad rise in the northern smooth plains (whose formation is poorly constrained, but posterior to 3.8. Ga), serve as a basis for the calculation of paleo-heat flows, referred to the time when these structures were formed. The so-obtained paleo-heat flows can give information on the Urey ratio (Ur), the ratio between the total radioactive heat production and the total surface heat loss. By imposing the condition Ur<. 1 (corresponding to a cooling Mercury, consistent with the observed widespread contraction), we obtain an upper limit of 0.4 times the average surface value for the abundance of heat-producing elements in the outer solid shell of Mercury. We also find that if the formation of the northern rise occurred in a time posterior to ~3. Ga, then in that time the Urey ratio was lower, and the cooling more intense, than when most of large lobate scarps were formed. Thus, because largest lobate scarps deform older terrains (suggesting more intense contraction early in the mercurian history), we conclude that the northern rise was formed previously to 3. Ga. If the age of other smooth plains large wavelength deformations is similar, then tectonic activity in Mercury would have been limited in the last 3. billion of years. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.We thank the useful comments and suggestions from Scott King and an anonymous reviewer. J.R. work was supported by a contract Ramón y Cajal co-financed from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain and the European Social Fund.Peer reviewedElsevierMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad (España)Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]2025202520132025info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501Postprintinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersionhttp://hdl.handle.net/10261/409704reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Ingléshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2013.02.033Síinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:digital.csic.es:10261/4097042026-05-22T06:33:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of Mercury
title Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of Mercury
spellingShingle Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of Mercury
Ruiz, Javier
Mercury
Mercury, Interior
Tectonics
Thermal histories
title_short Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of Mercury
title_full Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of Mercury
title_fullStr Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of Mercury
title_full_unstemmed Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of Mercury
title_sort Paleo-heat flows, radioactive heat generation, and the cooling and deformation history of Mercury
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Ruiz, Javier
López, V.
Egea-González, I.
author Ruiz, Javier
author_facet Ruiz, Javier
López, V.
Egea-González, I.
author_role author
author2 López, V.
Egea-González, I.
author2_role author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Mercury
Mercury, Interior
Tectonics
Thermal histories
topic Mercury
Mercury, Interior
Tectonics
Thermal histories
description Estimates of lithospheric strength for Mercury, based on the depth of thrust faults associated with large lobate scarps (which were most probably formed previously to ~3. Ga) or on the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere supporting a broad rise in the northern smooth plains (whose formation is poorly constrained, but posterior to 3.8. Ga), serve as a basis for the calculation of paleo-heat flows, referred to the time when these structures were formed. The so-obtained paleo-heat flows can give information on the Urey ratio (Ur), the ratio between the total radioactive heat production and the total surface heat loss. By imposing the condition Ur<. 1 (corresponding to a cooling Mercury, consistent with the observed widespread contraction), we obtain an upper limit of 0.4 times the average surface value for the abundance of heat-producing elements in the outer solid shell of Mercury. We also find that if the formation of the northern rise occurred in a time posterior to ~3. Ga, then in that time the Urey ratio was lower, and the cooling more intense, than when most of large lobate scarps were formed. Thus, because largest lobate scarps deform older terrains (suggesting more intense contraction early in the mercurian history), we conclude that the northern rise was formed previously to 3. Ga. If the age of other smooth plains large wavelength deformations is similar, then tectonic activity in Mercury would have been limited in the last 3. billion of years. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.
publishDate 2013
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2013
2025
2025
2025
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
Postprint
info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
format article
status_str acceptedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/409704
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/409704
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2013.02.033
Sí
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
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