Question

The distribution of craters on the surface of Venus suggests that a. its surface is ancient and has not been altered by volcanism, erosion or tectonics since the time of the heavy bombardment. b. parts of the surface are ancient, while others have been resurfaced within the last 100 million years. c. the entire planet was resurfaced about 750 million years ago. d. there has been ongoing regional resurfacing leading to a distribution of surface ages between about 100 million years and 750 million years.

Answer 1

Answer:

c. the entire planet was resurfaced about 750 million years ago.

Explanation:

Most of the craters (around 85%) on Venus are in immaculate condition although they have been slightly decayed by volcanism.

The crust of Venus is not in continuous motion like Earth's. This leads to the heat being trapped in the mantle. The crust of Venus undergoes a cyclical process every 100 million years or so. At the end of this cycle there is subduction occurs i.e., one tectonic plate moving sideways and moves down. Subduction recycles the crust.

The above factors also indicate that the entire planet was resurfaced about 750 million years ago