MAGELLAN GIF IMAGE XCUT
This is a Magellan radar image of parts of the Lakshmi region of Venus. The mosaic is part of revolutions 390 and 391 acquired on September 17, 1990. The image is located at 30 degrees north latitude, 333.3 degrees east longitude, and is about 37 kilometers (23 miles) wide and 80 kilometers (48 miles) long. On the basis of Pioneer Venus and Arecibo data, it is known that the region shown is located on the low rise separating Sedna Planitia and Guinevere Planitia, and just to the west of Eistla Regio. The image shows two sets of parallel lineations which intersect almost at right angles. The fainter lineations are spaced at a regular interval of about one kilometer and extend beyond the boundaries of the image. The width of these faint lineations is at the limit of resolution of the best Magellan images. The brighter, more dominant lineations are less regular and appear in places to begin and end where they intersect the fainter lineations. It is not clear whether the two sets of lineations represent faults or fractures, but in other areas outside the image, the bright lineations are associated with pit-craters and other volcanic features. This type of terrain has not been seen previously, either on Venus or the other planets. Resolution of the Magellan data is about 120 meters (400 feet).