Maat Mons
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| Maat Mons | |
 Maat Mons is displayed in this three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus, with the vertical scale multiplied by 22.5. Based on Magellan probe radar images |
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| Feature type | Mountain |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 0.9° N, 194.5° E |
| Eponym | Ma'at |
Maat Mons is the highest volcano on the planet Venus. The volcano is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) above the mean planetary radius and is found at 0.9° N 194.5°E. It is named after the Egyptian goddess of truth and justice, Ma'at.
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[edit] Structure
Maat Mons has a large summit caldera, 28×31 km in size. Within the large caldera there are at least five smaller collapse craters, up to 10km in diameter.
A chain of small craters 3-5 km in diameter extends some 40 km along the south west flank of the volcano, but rather than indicating a large fissure eruption, they seem to also be formed by collapse: full resolution imagery from the Magellan probe reveals no evidence of lava flows from these craters.
At least two large scale structural collapse events seem to have occurred in the past on Maat Mons.
[edit] Activity
Radar sounding by the Magellan probe revealed evidence for comparatively recent volcanic activity at Maat Mons, in the form of ash flows near the summit and on the northern flank.
Intriguingly for planetary geologists, atmospheric studies carried out by the Pioneer Venus probes in the early 1980s revealed a considerable variation in the concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and methane (CH4) in Venus' middle and upper atmosphere. One possible explanation for this was the injection of volcanic gases into the atmosphere by plinian eruptions at Maat Mons.
Although many lines of evidence suggest that Venus is likely to be volcanically active, present-day eruptions at Maat Mons have not been confirmed.
[edit] References
- Robinson, Cordula A.; Thornhill, Gill D.; Parfitt, Elisabeth A. (1995). "Large-scale volcanic activity at Maat Mons: Can this explain fluctuations in atmospheric chemistry observed by Pioneer Venus?". Journal of Geophysical Research 100: 11755–11764. doi:. http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/1995/95JE00147.shtml.
- Mouginis-Mark, P.J. (1994), "Morphology of Venus Calderas: Sif and Maat Montes", Abstracts of the 25th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, held in Houston, TX, 14-18 March 1994., p. 949.
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