 | |
| Feature type | Rupes |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 58°24′S171°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, in the southwestern portion of the Michelangelo quadrangle. [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]
