Research Article| September 01, 1991 Processes of formation and evolution of mountain belts on Venus Richard W. Vorder Bruegge; Richard W. Vorder Bruegge 1Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar James W. Head, III James W. Head, III 1Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Richard W. Vorder Bruegge 1Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 James W. Head, III 1Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1991) 19 (9): 885–888. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0885:POFAEO>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Richard W. Vorder Bruegge, James W. Head; Processes of formation and evolution of mountain belts on Venus. Geology 1991;; 19 (9): 885–888. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0885:POFAEO>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Orogenic belts in Western Ishtar Terra, Venus, rise up to 11 km in elevation and have been interpreted to be sites of crustal shortening resulting in localized crustal thickening and local changes in thermal gradient. Airy isostasy models imply crustal thicknesses in excess of 45 km. We explore the range of conditions in the mountain ranges linked to variations in crustal thickness and thermal gradient. On the basis of the high topographic elevations and evidence for crustal shortening and thickening, we interpret the thermal gradients to be less than the values of 15-25 K/km estimated for low-lying plains regions. High Venus surface temperatures enhancing crustal detachment and gravity sliding and basalt-eclogite phase changes in the deep mountain roots are likely to dominate the topographic evolution of mountain belts on Venus. As a test of this hypothesis, if evidence for early volcanism associated with crustal thickening can be found in the Magellan data, then low strain rates and high thermal gradients are predicted throughout orogenesis. A lack of early volcanism would indicate high strain rates and low thermal gradients. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.