Introduction to Planetary Geomorphology

Featuring hundreds of images, this textbook explores the geological evolution of planets and moons for undergraduate students in planetary science.

Ronald Greeley (Author)

9780521867115, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 February 2013

252 pages, 369 b/w illus. 12 tables 62 exercises
28.3 x 22.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.86 kg

'This is an excellent, enjoyable read for those who come to planetary science without a geological background and who want to pick up a good basic grounding to complement further studies, and also for geologists who want to learn about the application of their subject in a planetary context.' The Observatory

Nearly all major planets and moons in our Solar System have been visited by spacecraft and the data they have returned has revealed the incredible diversity of planetary surfaces. Featuring a wealth of images, this textbook explores the geological evolution of the planets and moons. Introductory chapters discuss how information gathered from spacecraft is used to unravel the geological complexities of our Solar System. Subsequent chapters focus on current understandings of planetary systems. The textbook shows how planetary images and remote sensing data are analyzed through the application of fundamental geological principles. It draws on results from spacecraft sent throughout the Solar System by NASA and other space agencies. Aimed at undergraduate students in planetary geology, geoscience, astronomy and solar system science, it highlights the differences and similarities of the surfaces at a level that can be readily understood by non-specialists.

1. Introduction
2. Planetary geomorphology methods
3. Planetary morphologic processes
4. Earth's moon
5. Mercury
6. Venus
7. Mars
8. The Jupiter system
9. Saturn system
10. The Uranus and Neptune systems
11. Planetary geoscience future
Index.

Subject Areas: Earth sciences [RB], Earth sciences, geography, environment, planning [R]