Distinct Mineralogy and Age of Individual Lava Flows in Atla Regio, Venus Derived From Magellan Radar Emissivity.

ABSTRACT: NASA's Magellan mission revealed that many Venus highlands exhibit low radar emissivity values at higher altitudes. This phenomenon is ascribed to the presence of minerals having high dielectric constants, produced or stabilized by temperature-dependent chemical weathering between the rocks and the atmosphere. Some large volcanoes on Venus have multiple reductions of radar emissivity at varying altitudes. The authors present morphological maps of major lava flow units at Maat, Ozza, and Sapas montes and compare them to radar emissivity. Sapas has a single reduction in emissivity values at 6,054.6 km, while Maat and Ozza have several reductions at altitudes of 6,052.5-6,056.7 km. Emissivity values are highly spatially correlated to individual lava flows indicating that minerals in the rocks

SUBMITTER: Brossier J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8098063 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature