Working title

'Planetary Geosciences: A Dutch perspective and state of the art'

Scope of this special issue 

The NJG special issue aims to give an overview of the full spectrum of Dutch geosciences involved in the exploration of planetary bodies inside our solar system. We aim at bringing together innovative and high-quality articles that address important topics in the development and evolution of interiors and processes at the surface of planetary bodies. Studies based on experimental simulations, analogue field studies, remote sensing or those focussing on new methodological considerations and instrumentation for future missions are encouraged for submission. We especially welcome new and innovative ideas for fields in planetary geosciences. 

Pre-registration for contributing to this special issue has been closed. In case of questions concerning your contribution, or the special issue in general, please contact the guest-editors. 

Guest editors 

• Dr Sebastiaan de Vet (University of Amsterdam)
• Prof. Wim van Westrenen (VU University Amsterdam)

Dr De Vet is the national representative of The Netherlands in the Planetary Geomorphology Working Group of the International Association for Geomorphologists (IAG). Prof. Van Westrenen is the national representative of The Netherlands in NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI).

Tentative time schedule*

*italics highlight current phase of the editorial process.

• Call for papers: 17 January
• Deadline submission of abstracts: 14 February
• Announcement of selection: 3 April
• Manuscript submission due: 15 June
• Reviews to authors: September/October
• Revisions due: November
• Final decision: December

Preparation of your manuscript

Follow the link below to download the author instructions 

Submitting your manuscript

Visit the webpage via the link below. You will be asked to set-up an account and go through a 6-step submission procedure. In step 4 you will be able to mark your manuscript as a submission to the special issue (in the system listed as 'Dutch planetary geology').

Rationale of this special issue

Planetary science has made great progress over the past decade. Recent space exploration missions to Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and the outer planets and their moons have revolutionised our knowledge of the formation, evolution, and present-day properties of the interior, surface, atmospheres and exospheres of many bodies in our solar system. Potentially habitable zones have been identified and characterised on Mars and in the interiors of icy moons, and a plethora of biomarkers have been proposed and studied, based on remote sensing observations, in situ observations from landers, and detailed, Earth-based analyses of meteorite and dust samples.

Planetary science is increasingly dependent on the input of multiple subdisciplines of the geosciences. Dutch geoscientists have become increasingly active in planetary exploration, especially since the instigation of the User Support Programme Planetary Science funded by NWO over the past 7 years. 

We (the guest editors) feel that there is sufficient critical research mass in the Netherlands to compile a special issue on the state of art of this field in the Netherlands. A special issue in the Netherlands Journal of Geosciences (NJG) is therefore a valuable tool to demonstrate to national and international stakeholders the resourcefulness of the Dutch geosciences in dealing with both terrestrial questions as well as outstanding challenges on other planetary bodies.