 |
 |
Extraterrestrial Plate Tectonics
Name: Brent
Status: student
Grade: 6-8
Location: TX
Country: USA
Date: Spring 2011
Question:
Is there plate tectonics on other planets?
Replies:
The short answer is that scientists really don't know for sure if
there has been or is active plate tectonics on other planets in our
solar system. NASA scientists have found some evidence of possible
plate tectonics on Mars, but some scientists have discounted this
information. Similarly, some scientists have suggested that there
may have been plate tectonics on Venus, but it is not a
well-supported idea. A link to one of the pages about Mars discusses
magnetic "striping" similar to that found on Earth:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/1999/ast29apr99_1/gested
As for planets in other solar systems, it is possible, but we simply
do not have enough data to say for sure. Scientists have suggested
that large quantities of water, as we have on Earth, are necessary
for plate tectonics to occur. If that is the case, then perhaps
Mars and Venus (if they had water in the past) had active plate
tectonics occurring in the past. Also, it would mean that if we
find other planets with water, we could look for evidence of active
plate tectonics.
Patricia Rowe, MS, MSEd.
Click here to return to the Environmental and Earth Science Archives
| |
Update: June 2012
|
|
