Planetary Geology

Volcanic Activity Shaped Mercury After All (Science Daily)

6 Jul 2008

Planetary geologists have determined that volcanism played a central role in forming Mercury's surface. The evidence of volcanic activity, published in Science, lends important insights into Mercury's geologic history.

China Earthquake Rare And Unexpected, Says New Study (Science Daily)

4 Jul 2008

A new analysis of the setting for last month's devastating earthquake in China by a team of geoscientists shows that the quake resulted from faults with little seismic activity, and that similar events in that area occur only once in every 2,000 to 10,000 years, on average.

Mercury's surface dominated by volcanism and iron-deficiency (PhysOrg)

3 Jul 2008

Volcanism has played a more extensive role in shaping the surface of Mercury than scientists had thought. This result comes from multispectral imaging data gathered in January 2008 by MESSENGER, the latest spacecraft to visit the Sun's innermost planet.