A migratory mantle plume on Venus: Implications for Earth?
A spatially fixed or at least internally rigid hotspot reference frame has been assumed for determining relative plate motions on Earth. Recent 1:5,000,000 scale mapping of Venus, a planet without terrestrial-style plate tectonics and ocean cover, reveals a systematic age and dimensional progression of corona-like arachnoids occurring in an uncinate chain. The nonrandom associations between arachnoids indicate they likely formed from a deep-seated mantle plume in a manner similar to terrestrial hotspot features. However, absence of expected convergent "plate" margin deformation suggests that the arachnoids are the surface expression of a migratory mantle plume beneath a stationary surface. If mantle plumes are not stationary on Venus, what if any are the implications for Earth?
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Title | A migratory mantle plume on Venus: Implications for Earth? |
| DOI | 10.1029/96JB00883 |
| Authors | Mary Chapman, Randolph Kirk |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth |
| Index ID | 70019067 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Astrogeology Science Center |