Initial mapping of Mercury's crustal magnetic field: Relationship to the Caloris impact basin

Abstract

Seventy-eight low-altitude passes of MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging magnetometer data from August to September of 2014 have been applied to produce an approximate map of the crustal magnetic field at a constant altitude of 80 km covering latitudes of 50°–80°N and longitudes of 160°–330°E. The strongest anomalies are located in the westernmost part of the mapped region just north and northeast of the Caloris impact basin. The strongest single anomaly group lies over a smooth plains unit that extends northward from Caloris. A second anomaly lies on the Odin Formation, interpreted as primary Caloris ejecta. A third broad anomaly also lies over a smooth plains unit, Suisei Planitia. Although many smooth plains on Mercury may have a volcanic origin, a subset of these plains is concentrated around Caloris and could have a dominantly impact origin. It is therefore proposed that many of the Mercurian anomaly sources consist of impact basin ejecta materials.