Impact craters of Venus: Analysis of Venera 15 and 16 data

Abstract

From description of impact craters on Venus and crater size‐and‐depth distributions, models are developed that analyze the size‐distribution curve and radar‐bright haloes around fresh craters. The dense Venusian atmosphere has a strong influence on cratering. The estimated age of the surface of the area under study is from 0.5 to 1.0×10 9 years. The estimated rate of resurfacing during this time interval is about 0.04 to 0.8 cm/10 6 years. The lithosphere of Venus seems to be sufficiently rigid to sustain craters of 100–140 km diameter and 0.8–2.5 km depth for about 10 8 years.