Feature type | Rupes |
---|---|
Coordinates | 58°24′S 171°24′W / 58.4°S 171.4°W[1] |
Length | 300 km[2] |
Eponym | Hero (sloop)[1] |
Hero Rupes is an escarpment on Mercury more than 300 kilometres (190 miles) long[2] located in the southern hemisphere of Mercury.[1] Discovered by the Mariner 10 spacecraft in 1974, it was formed by a thrust fault, thought to have occurred due to the shrinkage of the planet's core as it cooled over time.[3]
The scarp is named after sloop Hero, Nathaniel Palmer's ship used to explore the Antarctic coast, 1820–21.[1]