Mercury, the smallest planet in the Solar System and the closest to the Sun, may be shrinking significantly faster than scientists estimated. A new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters on this Thursday indicates that the planet's contraction was between 10% and 30% greater than previous projections, which would represent a reduction of up to 23 kilometers in diameter over about 4.5 billion years.
Researchers discovered that part of the signals left by Mercury's shrinking was hidden beneath craters and debris deposits resulting from billions of years of impacts on the planet's surface. By taking these rougher areas into account, scientists were able to arrive at a contraction estimate higher than previously identified.
The planet Mercury is marked by features known as "wrinkles" on its surface, resulting from the process of cooling and contracting of its interior over time.
