  The orbit of Mercury has large values of eccentricity and inclination that
cannot be easily explained if this planet formed on a circular and coplanar
orbit. Here, we study the evolution of Mercury's orbit during the instability
related to the migration of the giant planets in the framework of the jumping
Jupiter model. We found that some instability models are able to produce the
correct values of Mercury's eccentricity and inclination, provided that
relativistic effects are included in the precession of Mercury's perihelion.
The orbital excitation is driven by the fast change of the normal oscillation
modes of the system corresponding to the perihelion precession of Jupiter (for
the eccentricity), and the nodal regression of Uranus (for the inclination).

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics