Planetary tectonics /

This work attempts to summarize "how landforms develop from the deformation of crustal materials." The ten-chapter volume begins with an introductory overview and individual treatments of tectonics on other terrestrial bodies (Mercury, Venus, Earth's moon, and Mars). Chapters addressing the tectonics of well-imaged solid bodies in the outer solar system and general discussions of mapping, rheology, and fault populations follow. Two editors and 23 authors present a wealth of information at a level that caters more to specialists than to general readers. Some material is repetitive, and some bodies (e.g., Mars) are better understood than others (e.g., Mercury). However, contributors illuminate the full range of tectonic processes ranging from large, hot, dry, rocky Venus to small, icy, tidally stressed Enceladus in a fairly unified treatment that spans the solar system. To paraphrase one passage, the understanding of tectonics on most other bodies is incomplete because scientists "rely on spacecraft data and lack ground truth," yet the book provides invaluable context for understanding why Earth alone has plate tectonics, one of many potential tectonic endpoints. Chapters are extensively referenced, and most are well illustrated. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. B. M. Simonson Oberlin College