Planetary Geology

In a dynamic treatment of planets of the Solar System in a unified perspective, Planetary geology provides the student reader with comprehensive coverage and stimulating insights into an exciting area of the Earth and planetary sciences. It aims to ensure that its readers will be as comfortable dealing with Io as with Iceland and with Europe as with Antarctica. Not long ago, astronomers were the principal investigators of the origin and chemical composition the planets. Meteorites were a specialized field and few impact craters were recognized on Earth. Recent years have witnessed remarkable progress in planetary and meteoritic research, thanks to developments in remote sensing, rocketry, laboratory and computer modelling and, of course, manned exploration. Much of this work is geological - that is, concerned with the origin and evolution of solid planetary bodies, their atmospheres, and their potential for supporting life. Most of the unmanned missions to the planets, their satellites, asteroids and comets have also had a strong geological component, even when it was obscured by other perhaps more flamboyant aims - the search for evidence of life, for example, or the first landing on an asteroid. The results (and techniques) have enriched conventional geoscience; they have also broadened its potential syllabus to include much more atmospheric physics, geodesy and biochemistry than has been traditional, and topics that once seemed esoteric, such as the study of meteorites and the mechanics of impacts, move to centre stage. Planetary geology shows how geology as a whole has benefited from these enlarged horizons, so that, as its author puts it, Earth can no longer be presented as the normality with which to compare Mars, Venus or the icy moons. The geological evolution of our planet has much in common with that of its rocky neighbours; it too is prey to impact by comets and bathed in cosmic rays and the solar wind; and, even if life should turn out to be uniquely Earthly, we need to consider how and why. An introduction for students of Earth science and astronomy, Planetary geology is based on a course taught by the author for more than a decade to a broad spectrum of students in geology, physical sciences and human sciences. The book deals with the origin of planetary bodies, the forces that fashion their surfaces - notably tectonics, volcanism, wind and water, and meteoritic and cometary impacts - the rise and fall of icecaps and oceans, and the role of life in planetary history. After digesting the fascinating contents of this compact but wide-ranging book, the reader will realize that planetary geology now embraces conventional geology - and vice versa - and that yet more discoveries of planetary bodies and systems are sure to enlarge and enrich its subject matter. Book jacket.