A large, low plain on a planetary surface; pl.planitiae. The name is not a geological term but is used in the nomenclature of individual features, for example Lavinia Planitia on Venus or Sarandib Planitia on Enceladus.
Geology and Earth Sciences
A plain that is low relative to the surrounding terrain. A typical example is Hellas Planitia on Mars (42° S, 293° W), a probable degraded impact basin, about 2000 × 1500 km.