Introduction

One of the main areas of interest in the broader field of planetology has to do with the composition and physics of planetary interiors, especially for terrestrial planets. As we move into the 21st century, with new space missions to neighboring planets, there will undoubtedly be an increase of work done which will improve our knowledge of the inner composition and workings of planets.

Studying planetary interiors helps us to better understand how planets form and develop through time. Interior studies are very much related to mantle and core dynamics and their respective rheologies (including the discipline of geochemistry). These in turn are related to other geophysical signals and quantities such as seismology, tomography, gravimetry, tectonophysics, rotational dynamics and orbital mechanics as it relates to tidal friction parameters.

Resources

• Hard Copy

• Anderson, D. L., Theory of the Earth, Blackwell Science Publ., Boston, 1989.
• Cook, A. H., Interiors of the Planets, Cambridge U. Press, Cambridge, 1980.
• Hubbard, W. B., Planetary Interiors, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1975.

• Internet

• Institut für Planetologie - Universität Münster, home page.
• Lunar and Planetary Laboratory - University of Arizona, Tucson, home page.

• Local