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Plains tectonism on Venus: Inferences from canali longitudinal profilesCanali-type channels on Venus show inverted profile segments; that is, large portions of the channels trend uphill. The original gradients for these channels were not horizontal, but must have progressively trended downhill. Therefore, undulation patterns imposed on the profiles have to be the result of tectonism occurring since channel formation. This implies that some of the uppermost geological units of the plains, which are coincident with canali, experienced significant postemplacement tectonic deformation. The pattern of deformation is hierarchical. Within observational limits, at least two scales of deformation are indicated. The longer scale deformation (thousands of kilometers) corresponds to large-scale basins; the shorter scale deformation (hundreds of kilometers) corresponds to ridge belts or to small-scale domes/basins. The latter features, at scales up to a few hundred kilometers, extensively deform some plain areas. Although not appearing in the topographic profiles because of resolution limitations, deformation scales of tens of kilometers or less, which mostly reflect wrinkle ridges, also overlap the longer deformation scales. The channels probably formed relatively quickly in comparison to the time scale of deformation. Canali formation is closely related to the genesis of plains, and canali profile deformation reflects tectonic processes operating at multiple scales. The lower limit rates of large-scale tectonic warping are comparable to epeirogenetic deformation rates for Earth's intraplate continental interiors.
Document ID
19950046556
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Komatsu, Goro
(University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ United States)
Baker, Victor R.
(University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 1994
Publication Information
Publication: Icarus
Volume: 110
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0019-1035
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
95A78155
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-285
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-3515
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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