Part of the Mercurial Geologic Timescale
Mansurian Period - Kuiperian Period - No Successor
The Kuiperian Period is the fifth period of the Mercurial Geologic Timescale. After rayless craters dominated the planet's minimal geologic activity of the Mansurian Period, rayed craters characterized this period. The Kuiperian continues through the present day. Despite the planet's close proximity to the sun, Mercury is known to presently have layers of ice in the craters of its polar regions. Due to Mercury's orbit and rotation, some parts of the craters are always in a shadow, therefore minimizing the exposure to the sun's heat and allowing for the ice to exist. Astronomers believe that the ice on Mercury must have originated from elsewhere, however, and the most likely source is believed to be from comets.
The Kuiperian is not further subdivided into epochs.
Kuiperian Timescale:
Kuiperian Period - 1000-0 MYA