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Old 05-July-2003, 05:44 PM
aurorae aurorae is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ExpErdMann
I think Venus does show it. Most of Venus has been resurfaced with magma, just as most of the Earth has been.
Umm, no. Most of Earth has not been resurfaced with Magma. Most of the Earth's surface is sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. It is quite unlike the surface of Venus. The recent geologic histories of both planets are very different (hard to say what the early geologic history of Venus was like, as the evidence has been removed).

Quote:
The statement that Mars is geologically dead puzzles me. Can we say for sure there is no 'seafloor' spreading along the Tharsis ridge, for instance
Yes, we can say that is true. Certainly true today, probably true in the distant past.

The large canyon complex originating near the Tharsus bulge has some curious features, and the origin of it is debated. There was some thought that perhaps it was a failed rift zone. Certainly it is related in some way to the bulge and to the magma plume(s) under the bulge, but exactly how is not determined.