An expanded view of Lada Terra, Venus: New Arecibo radar observations of Quetzalpetlatl Corona and surrounding flows

Kaitlin M. Kratter, Lynn M. Carter, Donald B. Campbell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Quetzalpetlatl, a corona approximately 800 km in diameter, lies in Lada Terra centered at 68°S, 357°E. It is characterized by vast, radar-bright lava flows stretching to the southeast for over 1500 km, covering a total area of nearly 600,000 km2. Magellan SAR images covered most of the Quetzalpetlatl flow field, but 12.6 cm Arecibo radar data from March 2001 gives complete coverage of the region. With these new data, we examine the circular polarization properties of the Quetzalpetlatl flow field for comparison with other flows on Venus as well as terrestrial lava. Our analysis suggests that Quetzalpetlatl Corona is primarily a source for flows with 13-cm-scale roughness properties similar to terrestrial pahoehoe, and which appear to have traveled down a system of channels or tubes until reaching some unresolved topographic boundary. We also identify four new crater candidates.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numberE04008
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Volume112
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 20 2007
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geochemistry and Petrology
  • Geophysics
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Oceanography

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