Oz Terra is the unofficial name given to a major geological region on Charon. The Pluto-facing hemisphere of Charon is divided onto two primary regions; Oz Terra in the north and Vulcan Planitia in the south. These regions are separated by a series of scarps near Charon's equator, particularly Serenity Chasma and Mandjet Chasma.[1] The region was discovered by New Horizons during its flyby of Pluto in July 2015.
 An annotated map of Charon, with Oz Terra in the northern hemisphere. | |
| Feature type | Region |
|---|---|
| Location | Charon |
| Discoverer | New Horizons |
| Naming | Unofficial |
| Eponym | Land of Oz |
Geology
editOz Terra sits about a kilometer higher than Vulcan Planitia, and is typified by large crustal blocks, having fractured early in Charon's history.[2] The region was formed about 4 billion years ago, when a subsurface ocean of water and ammonia flowed to the surface, and then solidified.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Beyer, Ross A.; Spencer, John R.; McKinnon, William B.; et al. (May 2019). "The nature and origin of Charon's smooth plains". Icarus. 323: 16–32. Bibcode:2019Icar..323...16B. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2018.12.036.
- ^ Robbins, Stuart J.; Beyer, Ross A.; Spencer, John R.; et al. (January 2019). "Geologic Landforms and Chronostratigraphic History of Charon as Revealed by a Hemispheric Geologic Map". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 124 (1): 155–174. Bibcode:2019JGRE..124..155R. doi:10.1029/2018JE005684.
- ^ O’Hanlon, Larry (26 February 2019). "New map reveals geology and history of Pluto's moon Charon". GeoSpace. American Geophysical Union.
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