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How do pancake domes on Venus form?
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Venus
Venus photographed in ultraviolet light by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (Pioneer 12) spacecraft, February 26, 1979. Although Venus's cloud cover is nearly featureless in visible light, ultraviolet imaging reveals distinctive structure and pattern, including global-scale V-shaped bands that open toward the west (left). Added color in the image emulates Venus's yellow-white appearance to the eye.
Pancake domes on Venus are distinct volcanic landforms characterized by their flat tops, steep sides, and remarkably circular shapes, typically measuring a few tens of kilometres in diameter and about 1 km (0.6 mile) in height.1
These features form when a mass of highly viscous lava is extruded from a central vent. Unlike the fluid, basaltic lavas that create the planet's extensive plains and shield volcanoes, the lava forming these domes spreads outward for only a short distance in all directions before solidifying. While their exact composition remains unknown, scientists hypothesize that these lavas are likely much richer in silica than the basalts that predominate across the rest of the Venusian surface.1