Possible Volcanic Peak in Depression

Today's image is an anaglyph, which means if you have a pair of red-cyan glasses, you can see the image in 3D. While this peak, which is slightly over a kilometer tall, is located within a circular depression, it is much larger relative to the size of the depression than other central peaks that formed during impact cratering events on Mercury. Additionally, the feature has a distinctive red color signature, associated with sites of explosive volcanic eruptions on Mercury. Peaks such as this one are rare on Mercury, but there is a similar one nearby that also shares the same red color characteristics.

This image was acquired as a targeted set of stereo images. Targeted stereo observations are acquired at resolutions much higher than that of the 200-meter/pixel stereo base map. These targets acquired with the NAC enable the detailed topography of Mercury's surface to be determined for a local area of interest.

Date acquired: November 14, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 26772351, 26772627
Image ID: 5197359, 5197360
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -8.50°
Center Longitude: 224.4° E
Resolution: 50 meters/pixel
Scale: This image is roughly 45 km (28 miles) across
Incidence Angle: 44.7°, 44.6°
Emission Angle: 14.2°, 24.6°
Phase Angle: 59.0°, 62.2°
Orientation: North is to the right, to enhance the 3D effect.

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