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

2007; American Geophysical Union; Volume: 112; Issue: E4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1029/2006je002722

2156-2202

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

Geology and Paleoclimatology Research

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 km 2 . 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.