Ganiki Planitia

At present the most important task facing the community of geologists investigating Venus is to determine whether the surface fundamentally reflects formation during a relatively brief global cataclysm (with some evolution thereafter), or if the surface formed over a prolonged period of time as a result of uniformitarian-style activity akin to what we are familiar with on Earth. The data required to resolve these questions derive from detailed stratigraphic mapping efforts focused on deciphering the volcanic and tectonic history preserved on the current surface. As part of this broader effort, the scientific objective of the project reported on here was to assess the geological history preserved in the Ganiki Planitia quadrangle (V14) of Venus, an area approximately one-third the size of the United States.

An informal goal of the project, consistent with my objectives as an instructor at a liberal arts undergraduate institution, was to promote substantive involvement of undergraduate students in the research effort. The research information provided on these pages were carried out by the Principal Investigator, normally in close cooperation with a number of undergraduates who worked during the summer and/or during the academic year.

Cheers!

Eric B. Grosfils