Characterization and Spatial Analysis of Official and Unofficial Caldera and Coronae Populations on Venus
Date
2024-06-21
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Venus is often considered Earth’s evil twin due to their similarities in structure, but its surface conditions render it a volcanic hellscape. Through the mapping of previously defined populations of calderas and coronae on Venus using ArcGIS Pro, many features considered “caldera-like” and “coronae-like” were identified, prompting the creation of potential caldera and potential coronae catalogues. Heat maps were created to assess the spatial distribution of these features across the surface of Venus and it was found that 61% of the identified potential calderas were contained within or closely associated with the official caldera population, while 85% of the identified potential coronae were contained within or closely associated with the official coronae population. Further analysis of high-density feature clusters uncovered a significant presence of coronae with depressed topography as well as relationships between highly deformed terrain and coronae formation on the surface. A previously undocumented coronae cluster was identified in the Bereghinya Planitia quadrangle, outside of the distinct geologic settings in which coronae are most common. Upcoming missions to Venus will produce higher-resolution radar maps of the surface, allowing closer research of these findings.
Description
Keywords
planetary science, Venus, planetary geology, volcanoes, volcanism, ArcGIS Pro, planetary mapping, astronomy