Geological mapping of the planet Mercury
Lead Research Organisation:
The Open University
Department Name: Physical Sciences
Abstract
Geological mapping of the planet Mercury
Publications
Galluzzi V.
(2017)
Building up the 1:3M geological map of Mercury
Wright J
(2018)
Candidate constructional volcanic edifices on Mercury
Wright J
(2018)
Constructional Volcanic Edifices on Mercury: Candidates and Hypotheses of Formation
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Rothery D. A.
(2017)
Geological mapping of the Hokusai (H05) quadrangle of Mercury
Wright J
(2019)
Geology of the Hokusai quadrangle (H05), Mercury
in Journal of Maps
Jack Wright
(2019)
Geology of the Hokusai quadrangle (H05), Mercury
in Journal of Maps
Hood L
(2018)
Investigating Sources of Mercury's Crustal Magnetic Field: Further Mapping of MESSENGER Magnetometer Data
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST/N50421X/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2021 | |||
| 1656034 | Studentship | ST/N50421X/1 | 01/10/2015 | 30/09/2018 | Jack Wright |
| Description | I have produced the first geological map of the Hokusai quadrangle of Mercury. Mercury is divided into 15 arbitrary mapping quadrangles, which are defined by lines of latitude and longitude. The first spacecraft to visit Mercury was Mariner 10 (1975-1976). It never imaged the Hokusai quadrangle, which meant that its geology couldn't be studied until the MESSENGER spacecraft arrived over thirty years later (2008-2015). I have used data from the MESSENGER spacecraft to make my map. I have found that there has possibly been a more protracted and widespread history of effusive volcanism within the Hokusai quadrangle than is apparent elsewhere on the planet. In addition to my map, I have researched small-scale, late-stage volcanism across Mercury. I published a paper about the first candidate constructional volcanic edifices (small shield volcanoes, potentially similar to those found in Iceland) on Mercury. I also described the blocks deposited around the Caloris basin, the largest impact basin on Mercury (> 1500 km across). These contain materials that have been excavated from the deep interior of Mercury, and so offer a rare opportunity to study such materials at the surface of the planet. |
| Exploitation Route | My geological map will be very useful for providing science context and targets for the joint ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury. BepiColombo launched in October 2018 and will begin returning science data in 2026. Before then, my map will be useful for fuelling continued regional and global studies of the geology of Mercury in the MESSENGER-era of research. For example, the map is being integrated with age and compositional data through PLANMAP, which is an EU Horizon 2020 funded project (grant 776276). This will lead to future publications about the planetary geological map production. |
| Sectors | Education |
| Description | BSG Postgrad Conference Attendance |
| Amount | £550 (GBP) |
| Organisation | British Society for Geomorphology |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2017 |
| End | 03/2017 |
| Description | GeoPlaNet |
| Amount | € 1,200 (EUR) |
| Organisation | Pays de la Loire Region |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | France |
| Start | 05/2019 |
| End | 05/2019 |
| Description | Lunar and Planetary Institute Career Development Award (2018) |
| Amount | $1,500 (USD) |
| Organisation | Lunar and Planetary Institute |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 03/2018 |
| Description | RSPSoc Travel Bursary |
| Amount | £250 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society (RSPSoc) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2017 |
| End | 03/2017 |
| Description | Royal Astronomical Society Small Grants Sceme: Conference attendance |
| Amount | £750 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal Astronomical Society |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 03/2018 |
| Description | Molards in the Solar System |
| Organisation | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
| Department | Marshall Space Flight Center |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Our research team designed, conducted, and wrote up the research entitled 'Modification of Caloris ejecta blocks by long-lived mass-wasting: a volatile-driven process?' |
| Collaborator Contribution | Nantes: Provided computational methods and terrestrial data. NASA: Provided insight into topographic diffusion. |
| Impact | Manuscript in submission. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Molards in the Solar System |
| Organisation | University of Nantes |
| Department | Laboratory of Planetology and Geodynamics of Nantes |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Our research team designed, conducted, and wrote up the research entitled 'Modification of Caloris ejecta blocks by long-lived mass-wasting: a volatile-driven process?' |
| Collaborator Contribution | Nantes: Provided computational methods and terrestrial data. NASA: Provided insight into topographic diffusion. |
| Impact | Manuscript in submission. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Pyroclastic volcanism in the Solar System |
| Organisation | Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The OU research team provided geological context of the planet Mercury. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Institute of Geophysics (Czech Academy of Sciences) conducted numerical modelling of pyroclastic cone constuction on Mercury and wrote the resultant paper manuscript. |
| Impact | https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018GL079902 |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Article in The Conversation on BepiColombo |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An article on what BepiColombo is capable of, and its costs, published to coincide with its final tests before shipping |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/the-bepicolombo-spacecraft-is-ready-to-solve-the-many-mysteries-of-mercu... |
| Description | Exhibit for special interest group - The Macclesfield Astronomical Society Winter Exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 100 people were booked to attend the Macclesfield Astronomical Society Winter Festival. This was a recruitment drive for the society. I showcased OU planetary mapping research, including my Hokusai map. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Planmap/GMAP Virtual Winter School |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 197 international early career planetary science students/researchers registered for the Planmap/GMAP Virtual Winter School. They attended lectures and participated in online practical activities, where they were guided by expert demonstrators. Jack Wright devised, organised, and instructed on S3, the Mercury geological mapping exercise, which had 36 attendees (from Italy, the UK, France, and some other countries). The participants learnt GIS and planetary geological mapping skills and submitted thier maps to earn a certificate of participation. The mapping area was a subsection of the Hoksauic quadrangle map Jack Wright produced as part of his PhD thesis (this award). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.planetarymapping.eu/ |
| Description | Press release - Named feature 'Heaney' on planet Mercury |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The Open University did a press release after an impact crater on Mercury was officially named 'Heaney' according to my suggestion. This led to a letter of thanks being sent to me from the Heaney family. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.open.ac.uk/republic-of-ireland/news/ou-phd-student-names-crater-mercury-after-irish-poet |
| Description | Press release - Named feature 'Unity Rupes' on planet Mercury |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The Open University did a press release after I submitted the name 'Unity Rupes' for a lobate scarp (geological fault) on the planet Mercury, following my geological mapping of the region as part of my PhD research. This led to an interview that was published in a local paper. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Pubkic understanding of science talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk on the geology of Mercury at St Pauls Catholic School, Milton Keynes |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.st-pauls.org.uk/extra-curricular/events-and-lectures |
| Description | Radio interview - BBC Three Counties radio interview about the Transit of Mercury |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was interviewed by Roberto Perrone on BBC Three counties Radio about the Transit of Mercury itself and the public viewing and science festival being hosted by the Open University at the time. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | School visit (Falconhurst School, Milton Keynes) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | I visited two classes of Year 5 pupills (~25 in each class). I showed them space pictures, meteorites, and got them thinking about the orbit of the Moon and the electromagnetic spectrum. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Talk at a public engagement event - The Transit of Mercury festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk at a public viewing of the 2016 transit of Mercury, hosted at the Open University. I spoke about the geology of the planet Mercury to an audience of composed primarily of the general public and school-age children. As well as answering their questions after the talk, I also showed people how to view the transit through solar telescopes throughout the day. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Talk at a public museum event - Science Uncovered at the Ulster Museum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk at The Ulster Museum as part of a group of academics fielded from The Open University. I was particularly pleased to speak to people from my native Belfast and Northern Ireland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Talk to general science conference - EuroScience Open Forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk about the importance of space sciences in society to a room of journalists, members of the public, and the local MP. I spoke about the technological, economical, and educational benefits to Britain and the world. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Talk to school pupils - Schools Young Physicists of the Year award ceremony |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | ~20 school pupils, accompanied by their parents and teachers, attended an award ceremony hosted at the Open University. I delivered a talk about my research and how I got to be a PhD student. A discussion followed with questions from pupils, parents and teachers alike. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Talk to special interest group - The Friends of the Sedgwick Museum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | ~30 local people from the Cambridge area attended my talk about geological mapping of the planet Mercury. Most of the audience were geologists (amateur and professional), and were chiefly familiar with terrestrial geology. I fielded a lengthy question and answer session. I was later told that the talk was one of the best received by the group for many years. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://issuu.com/libraryhelp/docs/issue_34_september_2017-reva-2 |
| Description | Talk to special interest group - The Harrow and Hillingdon Geological Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Up to 50 members of the Harrow and Hillingdon Geologicla Society attended my invited lecture, which sparked questions and discussion of my geological map of the Hokusai quadrangle of Mercury. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.hhgs.org.uk/monthly_meetings/previous_meetings/previous_meetings.htm |
| Description | Talk to special interest group - The Leicester Literature and Philosophical Society Section C (Geology) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | ~50 people from the Leicester area attended. I delivered a talk about the geology of the planet Mercury alongside lecturers and professors from other institutions. I fielded a healthy question and answer session and had many conversations with individual audience members afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Talk to special interest group - The Macclesfield Astronomical Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | ~50 members of the public attended my talk about the geology of the planet Mercury. A lengthy discussion followed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Talk to special interest group - The OU Astronomy Club |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk to the OU Astronomy Club about the geology of the planet Mercury. After my talk there was some discussion about my research and the observations that had been made by the group of the planet. Later in the meeting I contributed to their discussions of night sky objects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Talk to special interest group - The William Carleton Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave an invited lecture to the William Carleton Society about how geological features are named on mercury and other bodies in the Solar system. I concentrated on geological mapping at the Open University. The audience was mainly interested in literature, but they were enthusiastic to learn about a completely different field of research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.williamcarletonsociety.org/ |
| Description | Talk to undergraduates - Sedgwick Club (University of Cambridge Earth Scientists) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | ~20 students attended my talk about the difficulties in conducting planetary geology. There was a lot of debate about whether or not planetary maps should be dubbed 'geological' since there is very little opportunity for ground truth. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | The Transit of Mercury Event 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Staff members, students, and visitors to the Open University were able to observe the transit of Mercury on 11th November 2019 using telescopes and solar viewers at the Walton Hall campus. Mercury- and Phobos-related OU research was showcased at the event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.open.ac.uk/science/physical-science/news/mercury-transit |