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You are here: Home / Space / What Is the Most Obvious Physical Feature On the Planet Mercury and How Many Impact Craters Does Mercury Have?

What Is the Most Obvious Physical Feature On the Planet Mercury and How Many Impact Craters Does Mercury Have?

May 23, 2020 by Karen Hill

What Is the Most Obvious Physical Feature On the Planet Mercury and How Many Impact Craters Does Mercury Have?

The largest topographic feature seen on Mercury is the Carolis Basin, a depression as wide as Texas about 800 miles (1,280 km in diameter).

It is bordered on one side by tall mountains, called scarps, which can reach over 1 mile (1.6 km) in height.

The impact that created the Caloris Basin was so powerful that it caused lava eruptions and left a concentric ring over 2 km tall surrounding the impact crater.

About 15 impact basins have been identified on the planet Mercury.

The surface of Mercury has experienced much of the effects of space weathering processes just like our moon has.

Related Facts

  • Why Are There So Many Impact Craters On the Planet Mercury and How Many Surface Craters Does Mercury Have?
  • Why Aren't There Many Impact Craters On the Planet Venus and Why Do Most Small Asteroids Burn Up?
  • How Hot Does the Planet Mercury Get and Does the Planet Mercury Have an Atmosphere?
  • Why Are There So Many Craters On the Moon and What Caused the Craters On the Moon Shortly After It Was Formed?
  • What Does Mercury's Orbit Look Like From Earth and How Often Does the Planet Mercury Orbit the Sun?
  • When Was the Planet Mercury First Discovered, How Did It Get Its Name, and What Does Mercury Mean In Latin?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Is a Rill On the Surface of the Moon and How Were Lunar Rills Formed?
Next Post: What Is the Largest Crater Photographed On the Planet Mercury and Who Was the Crater Named After? »

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