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| Alpha Regio |
A portion of Alpha Regio is displayed in this three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus. |
| Feature type |
Regio |
| Coordinates |
22° S, 5° E |
| Diameter |
1500 km |
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|
Alpha Regio is a region of the planet Venus extending for about 1500 kilometers centered at 22°S, 5°E.
The surface of the region is what is known as Tessera, meaning a terrain that has been highly deformed and where the deformation strikes in multiple directions and is closely spaced. The term comes from the Greek word for “tiled” (Russian investigators analyzing Venera 15 and Venera 16 imagery thought this terrain looked like a parquet floor). Like all tessera regions, it sits above the surrounding terrain at an elevation of 1 to 2 kilometers elevation and is heavily deformed by what appears to be contractional folding. Like most tessera units, the surrounding volcanic plains appear to have flowed around Alpha's margins and thus are younger than Alpha.
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