Fossa (geology)
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Cerberus_Fossae.jpg
Cerberus_Fossae.jpg
Cerberus Fossae, Mars
Fossa is a term used in planetary geology to describe a long, narrow, shallow depression on the body of an extraterrestrial body, such as a planet or moon. The term, which means "ditch" or "trench" in Latin, is not a geological term as such but is used in the naming of particular features, such as the Cerberus Fossae on Mars.
Fossae are believed to be the result of a number of geological processes, such as faulting, subsidence or floods of water or some other viscous liquid.
External resources
- Fossae on Mars (http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/mars/marsfoss.html)
- Fossae on Venus (http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/venus/venufoss.html)
- Fossae on the Moon (http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/moon/moonfoss.html)
- Fossae on Enceladus (http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/saturn/encefoss.html)
- Fossae on Ganymede (http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/jupiter/ganyfoss.html)