Global geological mapping of Venus and the twenty-first-century legacy of William Smith: identification of challenges and opportunities for future research and exploration

Abstract

AbstractGeological mapping principles have been applied across planet Earth since William Smith's initial 1815 map. During the Space Age, these principles were applied to smaller moons and planets, appropriately adjusted for remote conditions and data, and revealing ‘one plate planets’ recording Earth's missing chapters. Yet what of Venus, Earth's ‘twin’, shrouded in opaque clouds? How can these geological mapping principles be applied to address fundamental questions of planetary history? We outline how Venus's geological mapping over the last 35 years has proceeded towards a successively integrated more global picture that has revealed a surface and history unlike Earth or the smaller planetary bodies! The current 1 : 10 M global geological map documents geological units that all formed in the lastc.20% of Venus's history. The oldest, Fortunian, involved intense deformation and building of thicker crust (tessera). The Guineverian featured near-global emplacement of vast volcanic plains. The Atlian saw prominent rift zones and large shield volcanoes. The three major phases of activity provide a basis for assessing the geological, atmospheric and geodynamical processes operating earlier in Venus's history that led to the preserved record, raising a series of questions to be investigated in the coming decade by an international armada of Venus missions.