This is a drawing of lithospheric motion of the Earth.
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Motions of Venus' Lithosphere
A thick lithosphere would supress motions of the surface of Venus. It is not yet clear whether the lithosphere of Venus is thick or thin. The shape of the volcanoes of Venus suggests that over its history, Venus has built a thick lithosphere, like that of Mars.
On the other hand, features found on the surface, listed below, are all evidence that a planet's surface may be in motion. For Venus, these features are present but sparse, suggesting that the lithosphere does not move with the same speed, or in the same way, as that of the Earth, but is in motion nonetheless.
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...moreLike the Earth's lithosphere, the lithosphere of Venus is the not-so-rigid part of the crust of Venus which is cooler than the interior of Venus, somewhat like the film on top of a cup of hot cocoa. Unlike
...moreUnlike Mars, it is not the size but the shape of the volcanoes which suggests that over its history Venus has built a thick lithosphere. The shape of the volcanoes suggests that there has been no slumping
...moreThe four main mountain ranges of Venus are named Maxwell Montes, Frejya Montes, Akna Montes, and Danu Montes. These are found on Ishtar Terra. Mountain ranges are formed by the folding and buckling of
...moreTessera is a unique feature of Venus, and is also known as "complex ridged terrain". These features are found on some of the Venus Plateau Highlands. Tessera is created is by a shortening of the lithosphere.
...moreThis picture shows an example of folding and faulting on Venus. The different patterns of faulting provide evidence of the stress and strain, or crustal deformation taking place on the surface. Types of
...moreThe feature of Venus' topography called a "Corona" is a deep, curving, trench surrounding an elevated plain. Coronae is the plural term for corona. This is an image of Artemis Corona which is found on
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