Abstract:
We report on measurements of characteristic extensional wavelength represented by ribbons in Venusian tessera terrain. Fourier power spectra for ribbons in 35 areas from 9 geographic regions show dominant wavelengths of 2 to 6 km. We used these values to estimate mechanical layer thickness during ribbon formation at 0.6 to 2.9 km. Because ribbons accommodate extension of a single strong layer overlying a ductile substrate, we conclude that the base of this mechanical layer corresponded to the local brittle-ductile transition (BDT) during ribbon formation. Maintaining a BDT at <3 km depth for a significant length of time requires a locally hot environment, as over a plume impinging on thin lithosphere. These results indicate that locally hot conditions prevailed at widely distinct locations in the past.
