Tectonic features on Earth record the interior and exterior dynamics of our planet.Similar to the Earth, widespread tectonic features exist on the other planetary bodies.Planetary tectonics is targeted at resolving the tectonics features,their evolution,and the related dynamics on theplanetary bodies.This discipline is built on traditional structural geology,remote sensing,geophysics, and many others.Due to differences in size,bulk composition,and orbital positions of planetary bodies, tectonic features across our solar system exhibit rich diversity.Thermal evolution of the Moon,Mercury,and Mars follow a similar track,and currently their lithospheres lose heat primarily via conduction,so that tectonic features observed on the three bodies are highly comparable.Mars has witnessed a potential pulse of global contraction,while large volcanic provinces that were possibly driven by giant mantel plumes strongly affect the distribution of both extensional and constructional structures.The first ~80% history of Venus has been completely removed by subsequent magmatic-tectonic activity,and the maximum surface age is much less than the average age of the Earth’s continental crust.Thermal conduction is perhaps the dominantheat dissipation mechanism of Venus lithosphere,andthe abundant volcanic-tectoniccomplexes on the surface (such as giant crustal rift systems) indicate that mantel plumes have played a critical role in the history of Venus.Vertical movements dominate tectonism on the above terrestrial bodies while horizontal shearing is minimum.On the other hand, most satellites of the giant planets in the outer Solar System exhibit icy or other volatile-rich crusts,underneath which some have warm oceans.Tide,instead of radioactiveheat,is the major source thatdrives the interior dynamics of many icy satellites.Due to both the special orbital characteristics and heterogeneous crustal structures,the stress fields on these bodies are highly variable with time,andboth vertical and horizontal movements are abundant.Long strike-slip faults and possible subduction zones have recently been discovered.The study of planetary tectonics is based onthe various energy sources and material properties,addressing the interior dynamics from both physical and chemical perspectives.Therefore, planetary tectonics and Earth dynamics are complementary.Referring to planetary tectonics is fundamentally important to solve persistentmysteries related with Earth (especially continental) dynamics,such as the origin of plate tectonics,formation of continents,and interior dynamics within continents.