Source-linked briefing Science

Scientists Say Mercury Has Continued to Shrink Over Billions of Years

Scientists Say Mercury Has Continued to Shrink Over Billions of Years

Researchers report that Mercury has been contracting over geologic time, likely due to the planet’s interior cooling. The process has produced surface features that suggest ongoing crustal changes.

Original headline

The Planet Mercury Appears to Have Shrunken Drastically, "Like a Balloon Left Out in the Cold"