Observations from the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Mercury have transformed our understanding of the origin and evolution of rocky planets. This volume is the definitive resource about Mercury for planetary scientists, from students to senior researchers. Topics treated in depth include Mercury's chemical composition; the structure of its crust, lithosphere, mantle, and core; Mercury's modern and ancient magnetic field; Mercury's geology, including the planet's major geological units and their surface chemistry and mineralogy, its spectral reflectance characteristics, its craters and cratering history, its tectonic features and deformational history, its volcanic features and magmatic history, its distinctive hollows, and the frozen ices in its polar deposits; Mercury's exosphere and magnetosphere and the processes that govern their dynamics and their interaction with the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field; the formation and large-scale evolution of the planet; and current plans and needed capabilities to explore Mercury further in the future.

Silver medal winner in the 2013 "Independent Publisher" Book Awards
One man's search for his father. And himself.
Brian J. Anderson's "page-turner of a debut" tells the story of one family's tragic history and the fresh acts of violence and deception that will stress the bond between a father and son to its limit.
PJ Marshall, fresh out of college and on the cusp of a promising career, drops everything when his father, Butch-a freelance environmental researcher-disappears under a cloud of suspicion. Facing a raft of accusations ranging from assault and kidnapping to corporate theft and extortion, Butch is wanted by the authorities, who dismiss out of hand PJ's theory of a conspiracy by timber and oil industry giants. Driven by unwavering loyalty and the discovery of hidden documents that could prove his father's innocence, PJ embarks on a grueling cross-country search.
The Marshall family saga is brought to life as Anderson skillfully weaves together present-day events and those of PJ's troubled past. The untimely deaths of his mother and sister during his formative years-and the circumstances surrounding them-occasioned PJ's brief but vicious battle with drug abuse and the resulting attachment to his devoted father.
Now, faced with the threat of losing the only family he has left, PJ is tempted to fall back into old addictions, while at the same time discovering untapped personal strength in his struggle to find his father-and the truth.