| Feature on | Venus | | Feature type | Tessera (ridged highland) | | Quadrangle | V-33 Scarpelini, extending northward into V-21 Mead | | Venusian coordinates (centre) | 2° S, 49°° E | | Diameter | 850 km | | Bounding features | Gbadu Tessera, Manatum Tessera, Nabuzana Corona |
The long highland region of Aphrodite Terra extends far across the surface of Venus, southward of the planet's equator. At its western end, the land rises into the high plateau of Ovda Regio, before descending into a landscape of broken ridges. This complex, crumpled terrain is known by the name tessera; immediately westward of Ovda Regio is the wide Manatum Tessera, and beyond that a further ridged region known as Salus Tessera.
Salus Tessera extends westward of Ovda Regio for some 850 km. This zone of tessera was at one time approximately rectangular in shape, but its southwestern parts have been flooded by lava, forming comparatively smooth plains across that area. The surviving tessera forms a shape like an inverted 'L', with ridges running out to the west and down toward the south.
By convention, regions of Venus are named for goddesses from different traditions, and Salus Tessera takes its name from the Roman goddess Salus. The name literally 'safety', and the goddess was thought to watch over the health and prosperity of her followers.
|
|
