Question

Why does Mercury have many more tall cliffs than the Moon?

a) After Mercury formed, it cooled and contracted more than the Moon did, and this cracked its crust.
b) Mercury was subjected to an intense early bombardment, which caused a lot of ruptures in its surface.
c) Mercury went through an extended period of highly active plate tectonics before it cooled, and interactions between the plates thrust their edges upward.
d) Mercury is close to the Sun and the intense heat from the Sun has cracked the surface
e) Mercury has a larger iron core than the Moon does, and that core has produced more internal heating

Answer 1

Mercury's tall cliffs are due to the global compression of its crust after cooling and contracting, which is different from the Moon's geological history.

Step-by-step explanation:

The tall cliffs on Mercury, also known as scarps, are a result of the planet's unique geological history. Unlike the Moon, Mercury has a very large metal core and, as a result, experienced significant cooling and contraction after its formation. This cooling caused Mercury's crust to crack and form the tall cliffs that can be seen intersecting its craters.

These long, curved cliffs on Mercury's surface testify that global compression of Mercury's crust occurred after most of the craters had already been formed. Therefore, the presence of many tall cliffs on Mercury compared to the Moon can be attributed to the planet shrinking and wrinkling its crust during its past.