Geology of the Hokusai quadrangle (H05), Mercury

The Hokusai (H05) quadrangle is in Mercury’s northern mid-latitudes (0–90°E, 22.5–65°N) and covers almost 5 million km², or 6.5%, of the planet’s surface. We have used data from the MESSENGER spacecraft to make the first geological map of H05. Linework was digitized at 1:400,000-scale for final presentation at 1:3,000,000-scale, mainly using a ∼166 m/pixel monochrome basemap. Three major photogeologic units of regional extent were mapped: intercrater, intermediate, and smooth plains. Materials of craters ≥ 20 km in diameter were classified according to their degradation state. Two classification schemes were employed in parallel, one with three classes and the other with five classes, for compatibility with existing MESSENGER-era quadrangle maps and the first global geologic map. This map will provide science context and targets for the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury.