Physics – Geophysics
Scientific paper
Mar 1982
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1982natur.296...14m&link_type=abstract
Nature, vol. 296, Mar. 4, 1982, p. 14, 15.
Physics
Geophysics
4
Geophysics, Greenhouse Effect, Pioneer Venus Spacecraft, Planetary Geology, Radio Altimeters, Venus (Planet), Atmospheric Pressure, Atmospheric Temperature, Lithosphere, Plates (Tectonics), Topography, Venus Atmosphere, Venus, Geology, Geophysics, Pressure, Temperatures, Comparisons, Maps, Topography, Ishtar Terra, Aphrodite Terra, Terrain, Lithosphere, Radar, Radar Observations, Features, Beta Regio, Lakshmi Planum, Surface, Earth-Based Observations, Atmosphere, Argon, Abundance, Heat, Tectonism
Scientific paper
Current understandings of the geology and geophysics of Venus gained from recent spacecraft explorations are summarized. Venus has been found to be characterized by a high atmospheric pressure and temperature, attributed to a runaway greenhouse effect, and very low water abundance, implying Venus to be hotter and drier than earth at shallow depths. Radar altimetry carried out by the Pioneer Venus mission revealed a unimodal surface altitude distribution, implying a horizontal lithospheric plate transport slower than the rates of erosion and sediment transport. Specific features observed include crater-like forms on the Venusian lowlands, and topographical features generally associated with the Aphrodite, Ishtar Terra and Beta Regio elevations. No evidence of a global system of plate tectonics is found, and Fresnel reflection data indicate that the surface cannot be covered by a thick, extensive layer of porous regolith or sediment. A model has been suggested to account for heat loss from the interior which has similarities to the tectonics of Archean earth.
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