A New View of the Stratigraphic History of Venus

✍ Scribed by John E. Guest; Ellen R. Stofan

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 906 KB
• Volume: 139
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0019-1035
• DOI: 10.1006/icar.1999.6091

✦ Synopsis

This we define as a directional history. On the other hand, there is evidence to suggest that coronae, rifts, wrinkle ridges, small and large edifices, and large flow fields have each formed throughout the portion of Venus' history revealed by presently exposed rock units. We propose that the plains have been built up by lavas erupted in a number of different styles, each occurring throughout the history represented by the exposed stratigraphy of the planet. Dates derived from crater counts accumulated from the combined area of specific types of feature such as coronae (e.g., M. H. Price et al. 1996, J. Geophys. Res. 101, 4657-4672) must be interpreted with care as the method is based upon the assumption that features of like morphology have the same age. Detailed studies from full resolution Magellan data indicate that Venus has had a complex history in which most geologic processes have operated in a nondirectional fashion to a greater or lesser extent throughout the planet's history.