Harris, Lyal B. Bédard, Jean H. Interactions between continent-like ‘drift’, rifting and mantle flow on Venus: gravity interpretations and Earth analogues <p>Regional shear zones are interpreted from Bouguer gravity data over northern polar to low southern latitudes of Venus. Offset and deflection of horizontal gravity gradient edges (‘worms’) and lineaments interpreted from displacement of Bouguer anomalies portray crustal structures, the geometry of which resembles both regional transcurrent shear zones bounding or cross-cutting cratons and fracture zones in oceanic crust on Earth. High Bouguer anomalies and thinned crust comparable to the Mid-Continent Rift in North America suggest underplating of denser, mantle-derived mafic material beneath extended crust in Sedna and Guinevere planitia on Venus. These rifts are partitioned by transfer faults and flank a zone of mantle upwelling (Eistla Regio) between colinear hot, upwelling mantle plumes. Data support the northward drift and indentation of Lakshmi Planum in western Ishtar Terra and >1000 km of transcurrent displacement between Ovda and Thetis regiones. Large displacements of areas of continent-like crust on Venus are interpreted to result from mantle tractions and pressure acting against their deep lithospheric mantle ‘keels’ commensurate with extension in adjacent rifts. Displacements of Lakshmi Planum and Ovda and Thetis regiones on Venus, a planet without plate tectonics, cannot be attributed to plate boundary forces (i.e. ridge push and slab pull). Results therefore suggest that a similar, subduction-free geodynamic model may explain deformation features in Archaean greenstone terrains on Earth. Continent-like ‘drift’ on Venus also resembles models for the late Cenozoic–Recent Earth, where westward translation of the Americas and northward displacement of India are interpreted as being driven by mantle flow tractions on the keels of their Precambrian cratons. </p> plate boundary forces;upwelling mantle plumes;Venus;Thetis regiones;displacement;crust;Lakshmi Planum;Archaean greenstone terrains;transcurrent shear zones;High Bouguer anomalies;mantle flow tractions;drift;Bouguer gravity data;Earth analogues Regional shear zones;Geology 2016-06-21
    https://geolsoc.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Interactions_between_continent-like_drift_rifting_and_mantle_flow_on_Venus_gravity_interpretations_and_Earth_analogues/3453689
10.6084/m9.figshare.3453689.v1