Previous investigations of Mercury have reported evidence for water ice at the surface in regions at the north pole. In this study, we look at four of the largest northernmost craters, Kandinsky, Tolkien, Chesterton, and Tryggvadottir, in greater detail than what has been previously done to identify precise regions of surface ice stability and to search for evidence for water ice in said regions. We constructed higher-resolution (125 m/pixel) digital elevation models (DEMs) than what has been presently published for these four craters. The DEMs were leveraged to model the thermal environment, from which we predicted the regions of surface stability for ice and volatile organic compounds. These predictions were then compared against the Arecibo radar, Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA), and Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) data. While our results indicate the presence of water ice at the surface of these craters, we were not able to identify precise boundaries between the ice and the volatile organic compounds due to insufficient data. However, this study is poised to inform BepiColombo observation plans to obtain new measurements of these high-latitude, high-interest craters to test our predictions.
| Preview | Filename | Description |
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figure1b.png |
Maximum solar flux (Wm^-2) in Kandinsky, Tolkien, Chesterton, and Tryggvadottir |
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figure1a.png |
DEMs (km) of Kandinsky, Tolkien, Chesterton, and Tryggvadottir |
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figure1c.png |
Maximum surface temperature (K) of Kandinsky, Tolkien, Chesterton, and Tryggvadottir |
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figure1d.png |
Average surface temperature (K) of Kandinsky, Tolkien, Chesterton, and Tryggvadottir |
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figure1f.png |
Ice stability depth (m) in Kandinsky, Tolkien, Chesterton, and Tryggvadottir |
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figure1e.png |
Coronene stability depth (m) in Kandinsky, Tolkien, Chesterton, and Tryggvadottir |
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figure1g.png |
Prediction of surface composition in Kandinsky, Tolkien, Chesterton, and Tryggvadottir |
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figure2.png |
K-means map of the radar backscatter over Kandinsky, Tolkien, Chesterton, and Tryggvadottir |
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figure3.png |
Average modeled maximum temperatures vs radar backscatter clusters |
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figure4.png |
Average modeled ice stability depth vs radar backscatter clusters |
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figure5abc.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Kandinsky. MDIS ID: EW1018679692B |
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figure5def.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Tryggvadottir. MDIS ID: EW1025333800B |
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figure5ghi.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Chesterton. MDIS ID: EW1012428897B |
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figure5jkl.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Tolkien. MDIS ID: EW1010210690B |
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figure7.png |
MLA in the PSR of each crater mapped over MDIS from Fig. 5 |
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figure6.png |
All MLA data between 82.5-90 deg N latitude at pulse widths > 15 ns, ranges >100 m and <800 m, and emission angles <35 deg |
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figure8.png |
Probability density as a function of MLA reflectance |
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figure9abc.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Kandinsky. MDIS ID: EW1004161613B |
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figure9def.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Kandinsky. MDIS ID: EW1015655046B |
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figure10abc.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Tryggvadottir. MDIS ID: EW1010210679B |
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figure10def.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Tryggvadottir. MDIS ID: EW1011420654B |
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figure11abc.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Chesterton. MDIS ID: EW1009605762B |
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figure11def.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Chesterton. MDIS ID: EW1023461467B |
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figure11ghi.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Chesterton. MDIS ID: EW1009000825B |
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figure11jkl.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Chesterton. MDIS ID: EW1009605763B |
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figure11mno.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Chesterton. MDIS ID: EW1012428890B |
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figure11pqr.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Chesterton. MDIS ID: EW1012457744B |
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figure11stu.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Chesterton. MDIS ID: EW10123519075B |
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figure11vwx.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Chesterton. MDIS ID: EW1023519076B |
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chesterton_raw.zip |
Raw images and models for Chesterton |
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chesterton_stack_82mpp.cub |
USGS ISIS cub stack for Chesterton |
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kandinsky_raw.zip |
Raw images and models for Kandinsky |
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tolkien_raw1.zip |
Raw images and models for Tolkien |
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kandinsky_stack_94mpp.cub |
USGS ISIS cub stack for Kandinsky |
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tolkien_stack_86mpp.cub |
USGS ISIS cub stack for Tolkien |
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tryggvadottir_stack_86mpp.cub |
USGS ISIS cub stack for Tryggvadottir |
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tyrggvadottir_raw1.zip |
Raw images and models for Tryggvadottir |
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chesterton_stack_82mpp_readme.pdf |
Chesterton USGS ISIS stack README |
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kandinsky_stack_94mpp_readme.pdf |
Kandinsky USGS ISIS stack README |
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tolkien_stack_86mpp_readme.pdf |
Tolkien USGS ISIS stack README |
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tryggvadottir_stack_86mpp_readme.pdf |
Tryggvadottir USGS ISIS stack README |
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figure12def.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Tolkien. MDIS ID: EW1025333800B |
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figure12abc.png |
MDIS, simulated, and ratio images for Tolkien. MDIS ID: EW1010210679B |
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mlaradr_55n_90n_readme.txt |
MLA Data README |
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mlaradr_55n_90n.txt |
MLA Data between 55N and 90N |
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mercury_radar.cub |
Radar .cub |
