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Ruining Rudyard
The Kipling crater was originally circular, but that changed when the crater in this image was formed. Situated atop (and so postdating) the southern margin of Kipling, this smaller, younger crater has a distinctive central peak that is encircled by a curious, near-circular depression. This depression may be a volcanic pit, like others that dot the surface Mercury — one of which even occurs in Kipling. The smooth floor of this crater shows subtle evidence of tectonic deformation, like that seen in many other infilled craters across the planet.
Date acquired: January 03, 2012
Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington