Volcanic Vent Northeast of Rachmaninoff Basin

We have seen this distinctive, irregular depression before -- in 2009 and again last year -- but never at this resolution.

The depression differs considerably from impact craters (it has no raised rim and an outline that is far from circular), and is surrounded by a smooth, velvety texture. Interpreted by scientists as a volcanic vent, the smooth texture is actually a blanket of very fine particles of lava that were ejected explosively from the vent in a pyroclastic eruption. Striations in the walls of the vent are visible in this image, as are very small impact craters that post-date the vent's formation.

Date acquired: February 13, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 3843866
Image ID: 3567175
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 36.1°
Center Longitude: 63.8° E
Resolution: 26 meters/pixel
Scale: The field of view in this image is approximately 25 km (16 mi.) across
Incidence Angle: 68.6°
Emission Angle: 11.9°
Phase Angle: 80.4°
(North is up in this image.)

Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington