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Accretion

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Definition

In planetary sciences, accretion is the complex process of formation of a planet, either rocky or gaseous, from the disk of dust and gas around a protostar. In geology, accretion is a process by which rocks and sediments are added to a tectonic plate (plate accretion) or a landmass (landmass accretion). When subduction of an oceanic plate under a continental plate occurs, plate accretion is the process of scraping oceanic floor sediments against the continental plate which form a prism of material called accretionary wedge. Landmass accretion is the process of adding sediments (alluvium) to a coastline or a riverbank, increasing land area surface.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GEOTOP Research Center for Geochemistry and Geodynamics, Université du Québec à Montréal, succ. Centre-Ville, CP 8888, H3C 3P8, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Daniele L. Pinti

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  1. Daniele L. Pinti
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Correspondence to Daniele L. Pinti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Pinti, D.L. (2014). Accretion. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5156-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5156-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Accretion
    Published:
    19 January 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5156-2

  2. Original

    Accretion
    Published:
    05 May 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5156-1

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