Asymmetric Magnetic Anomalies Over Young Impact Craters on Mercury

Abstract

Mercury's crustal magnetic field map includes anomalies that are related to impact craters. Mercury's surface has a low iron abundance, but it is likely that some impactors brought magnetic carriers able to register the planet's magnetic field that was present during impact. Anomalies associated with the relatively young Rustaveli and Stieglitz craters are asymmetric with respect to the crater center. We analyze the location of the magnetic anomalies and the impact crater morphologies to understand whether there is any correlation. We investigate the geological framework of these two craters to constrain the overall impact dynamics. In both cases, magnetic anomalies correlate well with the location of impact melt and the inferred impact direction. Both impact angles were probably 40°–45°, with preferential distribution of the melt downrange. Inversion dipoles suggest that the impact melt located downrange encompasses some magnetized material, which is hence likely responsible for the detected magnetic anomalies. We observe strong crustal magnetic field imprints near two recent craters on Mercury. We know that the crust of rocky planets may include magnetic elements like iron that can record the local magnetic field under certain circumstances. However, Mercury's crust is known to be remarkably poor in iron. In this study, we want to find out whether these observed magnetic imprints near craters happened by chance or if it can be explained by the impactors bringing iron to Mercury's surface. We make a joint-study of two different scientific areas: Geology and geophysics. Via the geological study, we found an uneven distribution of “impact melt,” which is material flung out of the crater in molten form during the impact that made the crater. Via the geophysical study, we found evidence that magnetized material correlates with the position of those pools that are found in the downrange direction of the impact. In conclusion, this study supports the hypothesis that iron was brought on Mercury by the impactors.