Open AccessCoronae of Parga Chasma, Venus
Author(s) -
Martin P.,
Stofan E. R.,
Glaze L. S.,
Smrekar S.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: planets
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2006je002758
Subject(s) - rift , geology , volcanism , volcanology , venus , volcano , corona (planetary geology) , shield volcano , plume , rift zone , geophysics , lithosphere , trough (economics) , paleontology , seismology , tectonics , physics , astrobiology , macroeconomics , economics , thermodynamics
Parga Chasma is a 10,000 km long fracture and trough system in the southern hemisphere of Venus. In this study, we analyze coronae in the Parga region, addressing the relationship between corona and rift formation, the relationship of volcanism to rifting and coronae, and the overall evolution of the rift system. Our observations are compared with various models, with the aim of determining any causative relationships between corona formation, volcanism, and rifting. Our statistical analysis shows that coronae are randomly located within this region, indicating that corona locations are not significantly controlled by rifting, or by lithospheric loading caused by the earlier formation of other coronae. Our observations suggest that the two processes of corona and rift formation were occurring more or less synchronously, with no specific control on each other, but that coronae and rifting in this region are genetically related. We find a wide variation in the amount of volcanism associated with coronae across the Parga region, and no evidence for a deep‐seated plume or multiple plumes beneath Parga Chasma. We suggest that the concentration of volcanic features in the Beta‐Atla‐Themis region may actually result from three independent but overlapping broad zones of deformation, corona formation, and enhanced volcanism associated with the three rifts (Parga, Hecate, and Devana Chasmata), rather than one large zone of activity covering the whole of the region simultaneously.