Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p22a..02h&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P22A-02
Mathematics
Logic
5210 Planetary Atmospheres, Clouds, And Hazes (0343), 6295 Venus, 8148 Planetary Volcanism (5480, 8450), 8149 Planetary Tectonics (5475)
Scientific paper
Prior to the Venera 15/16 and the Magellan missions to Venus, a wide range of ideas existed concerning the nature of the surface of Venus, the geological processes currently operating there, their link to interior processes, the implied geological and geodynamical history of the planet, and how all this compared with the nature and history of other terrestrial planetary bodies. The history of exploration of the surface of Venus represents the acquisition of data with increasing spatial and areal coverage, culminating in the near-global high-resolution image, altimetry, physical property and gravity data obtained by the Magellan mission. Among the most fundamental findings of the global Magellan image data are: 1) that volcanism and tectonism represent the most abundant geological processes operating on the observed surface, 2) that the styles and abundance of volcanism and tectonism combine attributes of both the Earth (e.g., very heavily tectonically deformed regions such as tessera) and the smaller terrestrial planetary bodies (e.g., vast volcanic plains deformed by wrinkle ridges), 3) that the distribution and nature of impact craters precludes active plate tectonics despite many Earth-like tectonic features (e.g., folded mountain belts), 4) that some features (e.g., coronae) are somewhat unique to Venus and may provide important information on mantle convection and lithospheric evolution processes, 5) that the number of impact craters is very small, indicating that the surface geological record is very young, less than 20% of the history of the planet itself, 6) that 80% of the geological record of Venus is no longer obviously preserved in the surface morphology, but may be preserved in the surface rocks, 7) that the distribution and state of preservation of existing impact craters may be consistent with a range of catastrophic resurfacing models, and 8) that the geological record and sequence of events can be correlated with geophysical data to assess crustal thickness variations and mantle convection patterns. The relationships of major elements of global topography and the sequence of events in the observed geological history (as recorded by major geologic units and structures) suggest that much of the current long-wavelength topography of Venus (tessera highlands and lowlands with regional plains) may have formed prior to emplacement of regional plains and been preserved since that time. These observations may favor evolutionary geodynamic models that are characterized by changes in geological style and rates, and may involve non-linear heat loss mechanisms that could have profound influence on the atmosphere. Although the observed surface of Venus dates from relatively recent planetary history, comparative planetology permits inferences to be made about the major stages in the earlier history of Venus. The evolution of the understanding of the surface from early speculations to present observations and interpretations provides an important context for: 1) establishing the relationships of the surface of Venus to the nature of the atmosphere and its evolution as assessed by Venus Express, 2) the comparison of the geological features and history of Venus relative to the Moon, Mars, Mercury and the Earth, and 3) defining the major outstanding problems and questions to be addressed by future experiments and missions to Venus.
Basilevsky Alexander T.
Head James W.
Ivanov Michael A.
No associations
LandOfFree
The Surface of Venus and Implications for its Geological and Geodynamical Evolution: The View Before Venus Express and Outstanding Questions for the Future does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The Surface of Venus and Implications for its Geological and Geodynamical Evolution: The View Before Venus Express and Outstanding Questions for the Future, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Surface of Venus and Implications for its Geological and Geodynamical Evolution: The View Before Venus Express and Outstanding Questions for the Future will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1236725