3D print Enterprise Rupes, Mercury's giant cliff

A cliff made by a shrinking planet on one print: the tallest stretch of Enterprise Rupes and the edge of Rembrandt basin, from elevation data measured by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft.

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3D printed relief map of Enterprise Rupes on Mercury, a long steep cliff crossing cratered ground.
Rendered with Blender. The tile was exported from Mini Skyline. This is not an AI image.

Where it is 36.54°S 76.54°E Mercury

Length
820 to 1,000 km (510 to 620 mi), by source
Height
More than 3 km (1.9 mi)
Type
Lobate scarp, a thrust fault
Named for
The American steamship Enterprise
Enterprise Rupes model, low angle
19 mm of relief

391 by 362 km of Mercury, 160 mm across

About Enterprise Rupes

Enterprise Rupes is the largest lobate scarp on Mercury, a cliff about 820 to 1,000 km (510 to 620 mi) long with more than 3 km (1.9 mi) of relief. It is a thrust fault: as Mercury's interior cooled, the planet shrank and its crust broke and pushed up along faults like this one.

The cliff cuts across the rim and floor of Rembrandt basin, about 715 km (444 mi) across, which makes it younger than the basin. It forms the northern wall of a great valley on Mercury about 400 km (250 mi) wide. It is named for the American steamship Enterprise, which explored the Mississippi, Amazon and Madeira rivers and sailed on a worldwide survey from 1877 to 1886.

Sources: IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Enterprise Rupes, NASA: Crossing cliffs, NASA: Enterprise Rupes, Watters et al. 2009, Science, AGU: Great valley found on Mercury

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