Divergent plate boundary characteristics and crustal spreading in Aphrodite Terra, Venus - A test of some predictions

Predictions concerning the divergence and crustal spreading in the Western Aphrodite Region of Venus are tested using published results from Arecibo, Venera 15/16, and Pioneer Venus data. It is found that the northern middle to high latitudes are characterized by a young average age, that there is a trend in the total number of craters per unit area from high values in the north polar regions to low values toward the equator, and that there is evidence for a latitudinal distribution of tectonic features of different types, with extensional features common in equatorial regions and compressional deformation features common in the northern middle to high latitudes.