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Yolkai-Estsan Mons

Mountain on Venus

The central uplands of Atla Regio on Venus are dominated by extinct volcanoes, notably Yolkai-Estsan Mons and its two nearby companions, Maat Mons to the south and Sapas Mons to the southwest. Yolkai-Estsan Mons rises up from the southern side of Ganis Chasma, a long and sinuous rift valley that runs for hundreds of kilometres across this part of Venus' surface.

Though now long extinct, it is clear that Yolkai-Estsan Mons was highly active in the past. The shield of the volcano extends across a region some six hundred kilometres in diameter, and the northern side of this wide mountain shows broad lava plains running down into the chasm to the north. The southern side of the volcano is broken by the impact crater Bashkirtseff.

Following convention for naming surface features on Venus, Yolkai-Estan Mons takes its name from a female mythological figure. This height takes its name from Yolkai Estsan, interpreted 'white shell woman', a figure from Navajo tradition associated with the sea.

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