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The mapping of Venus refers to the process and results of human description of the geological features of the planet Venus. It involves surface radar images of Venus, construction of geological maps , and the identification of stratigraphic units , volumes of rock with a similar age.
The surface of Venus is dominated by geologic features that include volcanoes, large impact craters, and aeolian erosion and sedimentation landforms. Venus has a topography reflecting its single, strong crustal plate, with a unimodal elevation distribution (over 90% of the surface lies within an elevation of -1.0 and 2.5 km) [1] that preserves geologic structures for long periods of time.
Venus may have had liquid surface water early in its history with a habitable environment, [24] [25] before a runaway greenhouse effect evaporated any water and turned Venus into its present state. [26] [27] [28] The rotation of Venus has been slowed and turned against its orbital direction by the currents and drag of its atmosphere. [29]
The surface of Venus is comparatively flat. When 93% of the topography was mapped by Pioneer Venus Orbiter, scientists found that the total distance from the lowest point to the highest point on the entire surface was about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi), about the same as the vertical distance between the Earth's ocean floor and the higher summits of the Himalayas.
Venus surface rendered with Blender with color base map and heightmap from NASA and the USGS Licensing I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license:
It is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" due to their similar size, gravity, and bulk composition (Venus is both the closest planet to Earth and the planet closest in size to Earth). The surface of Venus is covered by a dense atmosphere and presents clear evidence of former violent volcanic activity.
Water on Venus is the hypothesis that for 2 billion years, a shallow liquid water ocean may have covered the surface of Venus. [1] It is thought that dry land lying near the equator would have limited the evaporation of oceans and the greenhouse effect , allowing liquid water on Venus.
Venus' 1:10,000,000 map quadrangles. Name Number Latitude Longitude Ishtar Terra: I-2490 57-90° N 0-360° E Guinevere Planitia: I-2457 0-57° N 180-300° E