The investigation of the surfaces and internal structures of planetary bodies provides key insights into their formation and evolution. The surfaces of planets and moons can be studied using cameras, multispectral data, geochemical measurements, and laboratory experiments. Geophysical datasets—especially seismic, gravity and (electro)magnetic observations—are key to inferring the internal structure and dynamics of terrestrial and giant planets, their moons, as well as asteroids and planetesimals.
The combination of surface observations and laboratory experiments with geophysical modeling is crucial to reconstruct the internal structure of planetary bodies and to explore the geodynamic processes that have shaped planetary surfaces and interiors. For instance, multispectral imaging and experimental analyses link remote sensing data to mineralogical and physical properties, offering insights into the composition of outer and internal shells. Gravity and magnetic data together with altimetry measurements provide constraints on the differentiation, density structure, and mechanical properties (i.e., rheology, elastic properties) of planetary interiors. Terrestrial analogs (e.g., terrestrial lava tubes, impact craters, volcanic products, tectonic structures, glaciers, subglacial lakes, etc.) are also investigated through a multidisciplinary approach that combines surface observations with modeling of magnetic and gravity data to understand the geological, volcanic, and tectonic processes across terrestrial planets and icy satellites. These complementary approaches, together with geological mapping and interpretation, provide an integrated framework for how planetary bodies formed, differentiated, and evolved.
This session focuses on the instruments, measurement techniques, modeling approaches, geological interpretation, terrestrial analogues and laboratory studies that provide important constraints on the evolution of planetary surfaces and interiors. We invite contributions addressing current methods and innovative strategies to overcome existing scientific/technical/methodological challenges. Results from past, ongoing, and forthcoming missions, integrative multi-dataset analyses, and forward-looking exploration concepts are also encouraged. The session aims to provide an overview of the latest observations, methods, and experiments that allow exploring the processes shaping planetary bodies and outline pathways for major discoveries in the coming decades.