| Startlingly, of the four terrestrial planets, only Earth shows evidence of long-term, pervasive plate tectonics. |
| Volcanic activity has been an important force in the shaping of the surfaces of the Moon and the terrestrial planets. |
| Understanding Mercury and the forces that shaped the planet is fundamental to understanding the terrestrial planets and their evolution. |
| The first zone contains the rocky, terrestrial planets of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. |
| Plains relatively flat or smoothly undulating surfaces are ubiquitous on Mercury and the other terrestrial planets. |
| The terrestrial planets in our solar system all have very specific spectroscopic fingerprints that tell us quite a bit about their atmospheres. |
