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Progress in Earth and Planetary Science
Fig. 4 | Progress in Earth and Planetary Science

Fig. 4

From: Strength models of the terrestrial planets and implications for their lithospheric structure and evolution

Fig. 4

Strength profiles for Mercury with variable thermal gradients under dry (upper panel) and wet (lower panel) conditions. Brittle strength is calculated from Byerlee’s law, and plastic strength is calculated from flow laws using a constant strain rate of 10−17 s−1. The stress state assumes tensional deformation at shallow depths that shifts to compression at greater depths. A flexural curvature of 5 × 10−7 m−1 was used for calculations. The red/blue shading indicates the bending moment, which is balanced between tensional and compressional forces within the lithosphere

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