The radar characteristics of lava flows on Venus can be quite instructive regarding the distribution of lava flow types. In this Magellan radar image of the summit area of the Sif Mons volcano (slide #33) on Venus (24°N, 352°E) we can see that radar-smooth flows (pahoehoe?) are found close to the western rim of the summit caldera, while radar-bright (a’a?) flows make up the more distal flows and surface units on the eastern flanks. This relationship is the same as the one observed in the Ka’u Desert with the SIR-B data (slides #26 and #27), perhaps indicating similar eruption characteristics. Magellan F-MIDRP.20N351;1. Right click here to download a high-resolution version of the image (2.92 MB) |