Beagle Rupes

Beagle Rupes is an escarpment on Mercury, one of the highest and longest yet seen. It was discovered in 2008 when MESSENGER made its first flyby of the planet. It has an arcuate shape and is about 600 km long. The scarp is a surface manifestation of a thrust fault, which formed when the planet contracted as its interior cooled.

Beagle Rupes consists of three segments. The central segment trends in the north–south direction and crosscuts the elliptically shaped Sveinsdóttir crater. The dimensions of the latter are 220 × 120 km. The floor of Sveinsdóttir was flooded by the smooth plains material and deformed by wrinkle-ridges before the appearance of Beagle Rupes. The maximum relief within the crater is about 0.8 km. To the south of Sveinsdóttir the scarp turns to the southeast. A 27 km diameter crater is superposed on this segment. To the north of Sveinsdóttir the scarp turns to northeast completing a large arc. This segment of Beagle Rupes crosscuts and deforms a small 17 km diameter crater. The relief in this places reaches 1.5 km. The scarp appears to be a young feature, which postdates the emplacement of the smooth plans and formation of the majority of impact craters.

Beagle Rupes is named after HMS Beagle, a ship made famous through association with Charles Darwin.