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Planetary surface processes and tectonics

Class at Faculty of Mathematics and Physics |
NGEO108

Syllabus

1) Geological processes on terrestrial planets and moons.

2) Surface temperature. Energy transport. Energy sources, accretional heat, tidal dissipation, radiogenic heat.

3) Description of deformation on various time scales. Elastic, anelastic, and viscous deformation. Deformation mechanisms and deformation maps. Impact and evolution of the grain size. Impact of melt and fluids on rheological properties. Material strength and material failure. Empirical relationships. Rheological structure of planets and moons.

4) Tectonics. Internal and external sources of tectonic stress. Lithosphere deformation, faults and fractures, and statistics.

5) Melting and magmatism. Volcanic surface features.

6) Impact craters. Impact crater morphology. Scaling of crater dimensions. Evolution of crater populations, dating planetary surface. Late Heavy Bombardment. Origin of the Moon.

7) Basic characteristics of planetary atmospheres. Impact of wind, water, and ice on observed features.

8) Observed tectonic features and surfaces on individual bodies: Mercury, Venus, Moon, Mars, small bodies, outer planet satellites, and the Pluto system.

Annotation

The lecture gives basic overview of surface processes and surfaces of terrestrial bodies and moons in the solar system.