Radar properties of several fluidized ejecta blankets on Venus

Abstract

Magellan SAR imagery, altimetry, and radiometry are being analyzed to characterize the radar properties of the fluidized ejecta blankets (FEB's) that are associated with over 40 percent of the impact craters on Venus. The FEB flows and plains units surrounding the craters Isabella (175 km), Addams (90 km), Seymore (65 km), and a crater located at 4 S, 155.5 E (70 km) are examined here using the MIT-produced ARCDR and GxDR data. Individual orbital footprints obtained from the ARCDR's have been classified according to their dominant simple geologic unit (e.g., plains, FEB flows). This permits average values of reflectivity (corrected for diffuse scattering), rms meter-scale slopes, emissivity, and SAR backscatter to be calculated for each unit. GxDR images provide a means of visualizing the spatial relations between the various data sets. Variability of radar properties within the FEB's and relative to surrounding regions may have implications concerning the genesis and possible emplacement mechanisms of fluidized ejecta.