- Maat Mons
Infobox feature on Venus
name= Maat Mons
caption=Maat Mons is displayed in this three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus, with the vertical scale multiplied by 22.5. Based onMagellan probe radar images
type= Mountain
latitude=0.9
N_or_S=N
longitude=194.5
E_or_W=E
diameter=
eponym=Ma'at Maat Mons is the highest volcano on the
planet Venus. Thevolcano is convert|8|km|mi|abbr=off 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 .tructure
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 theMagellan 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.
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 ofsulfur dioxide (SO2) andmethane (CH4) in Venus' middle and upper atmosphere. One possible explanation for this was the injection of volcanic gases into the atmosphere byplinian 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.
References
*cite journal |last=Robinson |first=Cordula A. |authorlink= |coauthors=Thornhill, Gill D.; Parfitt, Elisabeth A. |year=1995 |month= |title=Large-scale volcanic activity at Maat Mons: Can this explain fluctuations in atmospheric chemistry observed by Pioneer Venus? |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research |volume=100 |issue= |pages=11755–11764 |id= |url=http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/1995/95JE00147.shtml |accessdate= |quote=|doi=10.1029/95JE00147
*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.See also
*
List of mountains on Venus
*Volcanism on Venus External links
* [http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/pia00254 3D Perspective View of Maat Mons]
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