Bright streaks reveal Mercury still geologically activeby Robert SchreiberBerlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 29, 2026A new analysis of Mercury has uncovered hundreds of bright linear streaks on crater slopes that point to ongoing loss of volatile material from the planet's interior, challenging the view of Mercury as a geologically dead and dry world. Using this automated approach, they mapped the global distribution and shapes of roughly 400 bright streaks that had previously escaped comprehensive cataloging, extending earlier work that had identified only a small number of such features. As solar radiation warms these exposed zones, volatiles can escape into space, driving the development or modification of the bright streaks down slope. The research team plans to use the current inventory of slope streaks as a baseline for future comparisons once BepiColombo begins returning data. Any such changes would provide strong evidence that volatile driven processes are still reshaping Mercury's surface on human timescales.