Planetary Crusts
Their Composition, Origin and Evolution

This comprehensive reference volume surveys the development of crusts on solid planets and satellites in the solar system.

S. Ross Taylor (Author), Scott McLennan (Author)

9780521142014, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 1 April 2010

404 pages
24.4 x 17 x 2.1 cm, 0.64 kg

Review of the hardback: '… a comprehensive description and insightful discussion of virtually all salient aspects of the formation and the evolution of planets and their interiors.' Nature Geoscience

Planetary Crusts explains how and why solid planets and satellites develop crusts. Extensively referenced and annotated, it presents a geochemical and geological survey of the crusts of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, the asteroid Vesta, and several satellites like Io, Europa, Ganymede, Titan and Callisto. After describing the nature and formation of solar system bodies, the book presents a comparative investigation of different planetary crusts and discusses many crustal controversies. The authors propose the theory of stochastic processes dominating crustal development, and debate the possibility of Earth-like planets existing elsewhere in the cosmos. Written by two leading authorities on the subject, this book presents an extensive survey of the scientific problems of crustal development, and is a key reference for researchers and students in geology, geochemistry, planetary science, astrobiology and astronomy.

Preface
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Prologue
Notes and references
1. The planets: their formation and differentiation
2. A primary crust: the highland crust of the Moon
3. A secondary crust: the lunar maria
4. Mercury
5. Mars: early differentiation and planetary composition
6. Mars: crustal composition and evolution
7. Venus: a twin planet to Earth?
8. The oceanic crust of the Earth
9. The Hadean crust of the Earth
10. The Archean crust of the Earth
11. The post-Archean continental crust
12. Composition and evolution of the continental crust
13. Crusts on minor bodies
14. Reflections: the elusive patterns of planetary crusts
Indexes.

Subject Areas: Geochemistry [RBGK], Earth sciences [RB], Astronomy, space & time [PG]