MESSENGER spies a soccer ball on Mercury
Friday, June 27, 2014 - 08:00
in Earth & Climate
Olé, Olé, Olé! Good news World Cup fans, a soccer ball has been found on Mercury! This 'soccer ball' is actually an old impact crater in Goethe Basin that has been flooded with volcanic lava flows, resulting in a 'ghost crater'. The pattern inside is a network of narrow valleys that were formed by thermal contraction and cracking of the lavas as they cooled.