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Planet Venus

Highlands

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Venus Highlands

Several tectonic events formed this complex terrain, which is part of the interior of Ovda Regio. An underlying fabric of ridges and valleys lies NE-SW. These ridges are spaced 10-20 km (6-12 mi) apart and may have been caused by compression of the crust at right angles to the ridge. The ridges are cut by bright features extending NW-SE. The largest valleys, particularly the 20 km (12 mi) wide valley extending across the image, were filled with dark material, probably lava. The complexity of Ovda Regio attests to a long history of tectonic deformation.