| Beagle Rupes | |
| Type: | Rupes |
| Coordinates: | -1.9°N -258.89°W |
| Coordinates Footnotes: | [1] |
| Length: | 600 km |
| Eponym: | HMS Beagle |
Beagle Rupes is an escarpment on Mercury, one of the highest and longest yet seen.[1] It was discovered in 2008 when MESSENGER made its first flyby of the planet. It has an arcuate shape and is about long. The scarp is a surface manifestation of a thrust fault, which formed when the planet contracted as its interior cooled.[2]
Beagle Rupes consists of three segments. The central segment trends in the north–south direction and crosscuts the elliptically shaped Sveinsdóttir crater. The dimensions of the latter are . The floor of Sveinsdóttir was flooded by the smooth plains material and deformed by wrinkle-ridges before the appearance of Beagle Rupes. The maximum relief within the crater is about . To the south of Sveinsdóttir the scarp turns to the southeast. A crater is superposed on this segment. To the north of Sveinsdóttir the scarp turns to northeast completing a large arc. This segment of Beagle Rupes crosscuts and deforms a small crater. The relief in this places reaches . The scarp appears to be a young feature, which postdates the emplacement of the smooth plans and formation of the majority of impact craters.[2]
Beagle Rupes is named after HMS Beagle, a ship made famous through association with Charles Darwin.[1]