GEOS-3307 Planetary Geology

An introduction to the geologic processes that operate on the surfaces and within the interiors of rocky ice-rich objects in the Solar System. Earth analogues, remote sensing, and the latest results from the robotic planetary exploration are used to investigate the origin and geology of the solar system. Topics include nebular materials and processes in the early solar system, orbital dynamics, meteorites and impact cratering, formation and evolution of lithospheres and atmospheres, volcanism and tectonics, weathering phenomena, planetary environments, space missions and the data sets they collect. Prerequisite: GEOS 2400