Definition
Contiguous planar regions of typically ridged icy terrain with high albedo and reflectivity generally attributed to fine-grained water or other volatile ice.
Description
High albedo ridged (Europa) or grooved (Enceladus) planar terrains.
Formation
The characteristic brightness arises from the high scattering coefficient of fine-grained ice(s), which can be produced through active plumes (e.g., Enceladus) or impinging particulate radiation such as magnetospheric electrons and ions or cosmic rays. Ridged topography of bright plains resulted from episodic tectonic ridge-building activity (for details, see ridge (icy moons)).
Age
Though absolute age estimates vary, the bright ridged plains of Europa are considered to be the oldest terrain type (Doggett et al. 2009; Fig. 1). Dark smooth plains are considerably younger and may be geologically recent. Surface features on Europa appear to brighten with age (Collins et al. 2010).
Bright ridged plains...
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Dalton, J.B., Hargitai, H. (2015). Bright Plains (Icy Moons). In: Hargitai, H., Kereszturi, Á. (eds) Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_25
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