Areography

Areography is the study of the features of Mars (e.g., landforms, climates, weather patterns, relict zones conserving possible lifeforms or their fossils), the physical processes that create and modify these features, and the spatial patterns among certain of these. Areography entails the delineation and characterization of regions on Mars. Like terrestrial geography, areography would concern itself with the society and environment interaction on Mars, such as the location analytic process involved in selecting appropriate lander sites, the constraints and opportunities of human settlement of Mars, and the human imaginings, perceptions, and feelings about Mars. Areography would tend to be more interested in the surface of Mars, the zone of contact among its crust, cryosphere, and atmosphere, and, perhaps, one day, human society there, rather than the deep planetary structure and processes.