Scalloped Margin Dome
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A scalloped margin dome is a type of
volcanic dome In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular, mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of eruptions ...
, found on
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
, that has experienced collapse and
mass wasting Mass wasting, also known as mass movement, is a general term for the movement of rock (geology), rock or soil down slopes under the force of gravity. It differs from other processes of erosion in that the debris transported by mass wasting is no ...
such as landslides on its perimeter. The margins of these domes have headscarps or 'scallops' separated by
ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...
s that are a consequence of adjoining scallops. Sometimes debris or slumping can be found at the bottom of these scarps or scattered many tens of kilometers away. Many examples show no debris at all. The center of these domes is often, but not always, a depression. There is another theory that the radial ridges of scalloped margin domes are volcanic dikes. During the first month of data from the '' Magellan'' spacecraft, the first of these features was found to the northeast of Alpha Regio, on
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
. It was one of the largest of these domes and therefore stood out. The strange feature was originally dubbed by the Magellan Project Science Team ''The Tick'', because the many radiating ridges resembled the legs of a
tick Ticks are parasitic arachnids of the order Ixodida. They are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, and species, but can become larger when engorged. Ticks a ...
. Its concavity was likely confused as domelike as a tick's body, instead of the actuality which is that it is a bowl-shaped depression. Through the first year of '' Magellan'' image data ''The Tick'' was thought to be a unique feature until an aide to the science team catalogued inconspicuous similar features all over Venus. This resulted in referring to the features as 'ticks' which was later changed to 'scalloped margin domes'.


See also

*
Volcanism on Venus The surface of Venus is dominated by volcanic features and has more volcanoes than any other planet in the Solar System. It has a surface that is 90% basalt, and about 65% of the planet consists of a mosaic of volcanic lava plains, indicating that ...


References

* ''Scalloped margin domes: What are the processes responsible and how do they operate?'' Lunar and Planetary Inst., Twenty-fourth Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Part 1: A-F p 215-216 March, 1993; Bulmer, M. H.; Guest, J. E.; Michaels, G.; Saunders, S. {{Venus Volcanoes of Venus Planetary geology Volcanic landforms