Ridge belt-related scarps and troughs: Compressional crustal bending on Venus

Cytherean ridge arcs resulted in crustal shortening in places with either the strongest compression or weakest surface layers. Arcuate scarps on or close to the edge of the ridge arcs were compressional fronts formed by overthrust over or subduction of adjacent lowland. These ridge arcs became wider due to the propagation of new ridge formation close to previous one(s). As this process repeated itself with time, the crust became thicker and the foreland was bent either due to the excess load, overthrust or subduction event. The Salme Dorsa arc measures 100 km in width and 600 km in length. It consists of a horseshoe-like set of ridges and grooves on a gently sloping lowland. The westward arcuate ridge belt indicates lateral compressional stresses and crustal deformation from SE against the southern Ishtar Terra foreland plain. The trough on the western side of the ridge belt and tensional grabens close to the crest of the bulge to the west of the trough are due to the crustal bending and indicate effects of the load and thrust. Compression and relative movement from southeast against and over the foreland planitia have resulted in ridge belt, trough and bulge formation. The load- and/or stress-induced bending of the uppermost crust allows some estimations of the uppermost elastic lithosphere thickness. Repeated folding and thrust faulting of surface layers due to compression are indicated by four more ridge belts located close to Salme Dorsa. The northeasternmost one has short ridges located in troughs. The west-opening arcuate ridge belt interlocks with the Salme Dorsa horseshoe.