Geological mapping in Mercury's southern latitudes

美国宇航局的信使号轨道飞行器于2015年结束了它的使命。为了准备欧洲的水星轨道器BepiColombo（2018年发射），信使号和BepiColombo的科学家正在进行协调努力，利用现有的最佳信使号数据制作整个地球的1：3 M地质图。这些将为规划和解释BepiColombo数据提供背景信息，取代使用水手10号数据实现的部分1：5 M比例尺地图覆盖。学生将负责创建一个南半球四合院的地质图，由监督小组指导。这将是在南纬66度和极点之间的南极四边形（H-15 Bach），或者是占据南纬21- 66度的四个四边形（H-11到H-14）之一，这取决于其他机构的同事已经在进行的测绘。然而，每个四边形都有广泛的特征和漫长而复杂的地质历史，使其成为令人兴奋的研究区域。尽可能全面地了解水星的南半球尤为重要。信使号对这一点的研究较少，但BepiColombo将对它进行详细观察，因此这张地图将为我们预期的BepiColombo最新发现奠定基础。学生将使用信使号的窄角和广角相机图像，辅以NASA行星数据系统提供的地形和光谱数据，在ArcGIS中编制地质图，并将与绘制相邻四合院地图的同事进行协调。测绘将遵循美国地质勘探局信使号-BepiColombo联合地质测绘小组商定的议定书和公约。在线数字出版促进了多个层的包含，因此（例如）新一代地图可以有一个年代地层版本（按年龄划分的表面单位，如平滑平原，坑间平原等）和一个更具创新性的岩石地层版本（例如将平原细分为光谱类型）。水星构造复杂，因此孤立和相连的断层系统需要仔细研究。虽然四边形地图将是这项研究的主要成果，但对水星任何部分进行仔细检查所获得的深入见解为衍生科学提供了许多机会。例如，根据学生的兴趣，这些可能是地貌、构造、与空间风化有关或与挥发过程有关。我们希望学生在年度月球与行星科学会议（休斯顿）和欧洲行星科学会议等会议上展示研究结果，并提交论文在同行评审期刊上发表。

NASA's MESSENGER orbiter ended its mission in 2015. In preparation for Europe's Mercury orbiter, BepiColombo (launch 2018), a co-ordinated effort is being mounted by MESSENGER and BepiColombo scientists to produce 1:3M geological maps of the whole planet using the best MESSENGER data available. These will provide contextual information for planning and interpreting BepiColombo data, replacing partial 1:5M scale map coverage achieved using Mariner-10 data.Mercury is divided into 15 'quadrangles' (including one at each pole). The student will be responsible for creating a geological map of one of the southern hemisphere quadrangles, guided by the supervision team. This will be ether the south polar quadrangle (H-15 Bach) between 66 degrees S and the pole, or one of the four quadrangles (H-11 to H-14) in the belt occupying 21-66degreesS, depending on mapping already underway by colleagues at other institutions. However, every quadrangle has a wide range of features and a long and complex geological history making it an exciting region to study.It is particularly important to understand Mercury's southern hemisphere as fully as possible. This was less-well studied by MESSENGER, but it will be observed in detail by BepiColombo and so this mapping will establish the context for what we expect to be BepiColombo's most novel findings.The student will compile a geological map in ArcGIS using MESSENGER narrow- and wide-angle-camera images supplemented by topographic and spectral data, available from NASA's Planetary Data System, and will co-ordinate with colleagues who have mapped adjacent quadrangles. Mapping will follow USGS protocols and conventions agreed among the joint MESSENGER-BepiColombo geological mapping team. Online digital publication facilitates the inclusion of multiple layers, so that (for example) this new generation of maps could have a chronostratigraphic version (surface units divided by age, such as smooth plains, intercrater plains, and so on) and a more innovative lithostratigraphic version (for example subdividing plains into spectral types). Mercury is tectonically complex, and so the systems of isolated and linked faults will require careful attention.Although a quadrangle map will be the main product of this study, the intimate insight gained by close examination of any part of Mercury offers many opportunities for spin-off science. These could, for example, be geomorphological, tectonic, related to space-weathering, or related to volatile processes, according to the student's interests. We would expect the student to present findings at meetings such as the annual Lunar & Planetary Science Conference (Houston) and the European Planetary Science Conference, and also to submit papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals.