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Chaotic Region

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Synonyms

Chaotic terrains

Definition

A chaotic region is a distinctive area of fractured and disintegrated terrain. It is characterized by a textured matrix featuring randomly orientated flat-topped mesas, knobs of various sizes, and deep depressions. Chaoses are primarily found on Mars in regions unofficially called “chaotic terrains.” The latter is located east of Valles Marineris and involves parts of the huge outflow channel floors. Various processes are suggested to have formed the Martian chaoses, including disruption and collapse of an icy permafrost layer initiated by pressurized groundwater, the action of aqueous processes, and multiple episodes of nested surface collapses caused by the removal of subsurface material, either ground ice or magma. Chaos regions can also be found on Jupiter’s moon Europa, which is suggested to be sites of melt-through from the subsurface.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. German Aerospace Center DLR, Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany

    Daniela Tirsch

Authors
  1. Daniela Tirsch
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Correspondence to Daniela Tirsch .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Tirsch, D. (2014). Chaotic Region. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_263-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_263-5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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