Rembrandt (crater)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn |
Rembrandt is a large
The crater is named after Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.
Background
Rembrandt was discovered in the images taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft during its second flyby of Mercury on October 6, 2008.[1] The crater is situated in the southern hemisphere of the planet at the latitude of about −33°.[4] It is named after famous Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669). The name Rembrandt was approved by the International Astronomical Union on February 27, 2009.[4]
Geology
Rembrandt is the second largest impact basin (crater) on Mercury after
The smooth plains filling the inner part of Rembrandt are interpreted to be of the volcanic origin. They are probably similar to the
Rembrandt basin is cross-cut by a large lobate
Both the rim and interior of Rembrandt are covered by numerous impact craters, including Bellini, a 45 km (28 mi)-wide crater near Rembrandt's centre. Karsh and Castiglione craters lie on the rim. A bright area called Zmija Facula lies within an unnamed crater in southeastern Rembrandt. The central smooth plains embay and partially flood many of these craters suggesting that the plains resulted from the prolonged effusive volcanic activity. Those impact craters, which formed after the end of volcanism, indicate that in the center of Rembrandt lava, layers can be as thick as 2 km (1.2 mi).[2]
Age and formation
The data available on the crater indicate that Rembrandt is one of the youngest giant impact features on Mercury. Its age is roughly the same as that of Caloris. The basin probably formed near the end of the Late Heavy Bombardment of the inner Solar System about 3.9 billion years ago.[3] The impact had excavated material from the lower part of the crust leading to the formation of the dark and relatively blue impact ejecta, which surrounds Rembrandt. The thinning of the crust, which resulted from the impact, stimulated effusive volcanic activity. Light-colored lavas filled the inner part of Rembrandt causing it to subside, which led to the contraction of the basin's floor and formation of wrinkle ridges. The later floor uplift, the cause of which is not known, led to the extension and formation of troughs.[2]
The latest episode of tectonic activity led to the formation of the lobate scarp, which actually runs tangentially to the ring of wrinkle ridges. This indicates that the ring, which may correspond to a buried interior basin ring, influenced the scarp formation. After that, the internal activity probably ended, and the surface was shaped only by relatively infrequent impacts.[2]
Views
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Regional color view with Rembrandt at left and Amaral at right, with bright rays
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Rembrandt crater as seen from MESSENGER
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Another oblique view
References
- ^ a b c d "MESSENGER Reveals Mercury as a Dynamic Planet" (Press release). NASA. April 30, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.. See images
- ^ S2CID 206519109.
- ^ JHU/APL. May 5, 2009. Archived from the originalon September 26, 2015. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
- ^ a b "Rembrandt". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. Retrieved 2022-03-18.