The Caloris Basin, a Huge Circular Region on Mercury Surrounded

Multiple Choice

The Caloris Basin, a huge circular region on Mercury surrounded by rings of mountains, appears to have been produced by

A) the impact of a massive object in the early phases of the planet's formation, soon after the initial cratering period.
B) successive expansion and contraction of the planet's surface by intense solar heating and severe cooling as the planet rotated, causing buckling in a similar way to the formation of the North American Rocky Mountains or the South American Andes.
C) wind erosion from huge atmospheric storms, similar to enormous hurricanes on Earth.
D) the eruption of a large and long-lived volcano that formed the mountains in a similar manner to the formation of the Hawaiian Islands on Earth.