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4 - Mercury’s Internal Structure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2018

By
Jean-Luc Margot ,
Steven A. Hauck ,
Erwan Mazarico ,
Sebastiano Padovan  and
Stanton J. Peale
Edited by
Sean C. Solomon ,
Larry R. Nittler  and
Brian J. Anderson
Sean C. Solomon
Affiliation:
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, New York
Larry R. Nittler
Affiliation:
Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC
Brian J. Anderson
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland
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Summary

We describe the current state of knowledge about Mercury's interior structure. We review the available observational constraints, including mass, radius, density, gravity field, spin state, composition, and tidal response. These data enable the construction of models that represent the distribution of mass inside Mercury. In particular, we infer radial profiles of the pressure, density, and gravitational acceleration in the core, mantle, and crust. We also examine Mercury's rotational dynamics and the influence of an inner core on the spin state and the determination of the moment of inertia. Finally, we discuss the wide-ranging implications of Mercury's internal structure on its thermal evolution, surface geology, capture into a distinctive spin-orbit resonance, and magnetic field generation. 
Type
Chapter
Information
Mercury
The View after MESSENGER
 , pp. 85 - 113
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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