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Planitia

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Definition

A planitia designates a low-lying plain on the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Moon, and Mars, on the Saturnian satellites Enceladus and Titan, and on Triton (Neptune). A planitia can extend from a few ten thousands to several millions of square kilometers across a planetary surface. Guinevere Planitia on Venus is the largest one known with a diameter of 7,520 km. Tectonism or impacts are the primary processes that can create vast low-lying plains. On planets or satellites with an atmosphere (Venus, Mars, Titan), planitiae can be subsequently modified by material deposited in the plain by wind or fluid flow.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstraße 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    Roland J. Wagner

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  1. Roland J. Wagner
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Correspondence to Roland J. Wagner .

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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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Wagner, R.J. (2014). Planitia. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1231-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1231-4

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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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