Tessera (Venus)

Tessera terrain in the Maxwell Montes seen in white on the right of the image. Eastern edge of Lakshmi Planum seen in gray on the left.

A tessera (plural tesserae) is a region of heavily deformed terrain on Venus, characterized by two or more intersecting tectonic elements, high topography, and subsequent high radar backscatter.[1] Tesserae often represent the oldest material at any given location and are among the most tectonically deformed terrains on Venus's surface.[2][3] Diverse types of tessera terrain exist. It is not currently clear if this is due to a variety in the interactions of Venus's mantle with regional crustal or lithospheric stresses, or if these diverse terrains represent different locations in the timeline of crustal plateau formation and fall.[4] Multiple models of tessera formation exist and further extensive studies of Venus's surface are necessary to fully understand this complex terrain.

  1. ^ Bindschadler, Duane; Head, James (1991). "Tessera Terrain, Venus: Characterization and Models for Origin and Evolution". Journal of Geophysical Research. 96 (B4): 5889–5907. Bibcode:1991JGR....96.5889B. doi:10.1029/90jb02742.
  2. ^ Ivers, Carol; McGill, George. "Kinematics of a Tessera Block in the Vellamo Planitia Quadrangle". Lunar and Planetary Science. 29.
  3. ^ Hansen, Vicki; Willis, James (1998). "Ribbon Terrain Formation, Southwestern Fortuna Tessera, Venus: Implications for Lithosphere Evolution". Icarus. 132 (2): 321–343. Bibcode:1998Icar..132..321H. doi:10.1006/icar.1998.5897. S2CID 18119376.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hansen Issues was invoked but never defined (see the help page).