Aeolian processes on Venus |
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| Authors: | Greeley Ronald Arvidson Raymond E |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Geology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, U.S.A.;(2) McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | In this pre-Magellan review of aeolian processes on Venus we show that the average rate of resurfacing is less than 2 to 4 km/Ga, based on the impact crater size frequency distribution derived from Venera observations, reasonable values of the impact flux, and the assumption of steady state conditions between crater production and obliteration. Viscous relaxation of crater topography, burial by volcanic deposits, tectonic disruption, chemical and mechanical weathering and erosion, and accumulation of windblown sediments probably all contribute to resurfacing. Based on the rate of disappearance of radar-bright haloes around impact craters, the rate of removal of blocky surfaces has been estimated to be about 10–2 km/Ga. Pioneer-Venus altimetry data show that the average relative permittivity (at 17 cm radar wavelength) of the surface is too high for exposure of soils  10 cm deep, except for ~5% of the planet located primarily in tessarae terrains. The tectonically disrupted tessarae terrains may be sites of soil generation caused by tectonic disruption of bedrock and the presence of relatively steep slopes, or they may be terrains that serve as traps for windblown material. The overall impression is that Venus is a geologically active planet, but one dominated by volcanism and tectonism. On the other hand, theoretical considerations and experimental data on weathering and transport of surface materials suggest rather different conditions. Thermochemical arguments have been advanced that show: (1) CO2 and SO2 incorporate into weathering products at high elevation, (2) transport of weathered material by the wind to lower-elevation plains, and (3) re-equilibration of weathered material, releasing both CO2 and SO2. In addition, kinetic data suggest a rate of anhydrite formation of 1 km/Ga, a value comparable to the soil erosion rate on Mars, a planet with an active aeolian environment. Experiments and theoretical studies of aeolian processes show that measured surface winds are capable of moving sand and silt on Venus. Assuming that there is a ready sand supply, the flux could be as high as 2.5 × 10–5 g/cm/s, a value comparable to desert terrains on Earth. In an active aeolian abrasion environment, sand grains could have lifetimes <103 years. In addition, comminuted debris may be cold-welded to surfaces at the same time as abrasion is occurring. Magellan altimetry and SAR observations should allow assessment of which model for venusian surface modification (active vs. inactive surficial processes) is correct, given the global coverage, high spatial resolution, the calibrated nature of the data, and the potential during extended missions of acquiring multiple SAR views of the surface. Geology and Tectonics of Venus , special issue edited by Alexander T. Basilevsky (USSR Acad. of Sci. Moscow), James W. Head (Brown University, Providence), Gordon H. Pettengill (MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts) and R. S. Saunders (J.P.L., Pasadena). |
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