Creation of synthetic topography fields using rotations of Venus’ current topography. Left: illustration of the angles, α_lat and α_lon, that define the reorientation applied on the topography. The angle α_lat defines the latitude of the geographic pole with respect to the rotational axis. The angle α_lon defines the position of the 0° longitude relative to its present-day position. The present-day topography is therefore given by α_lat = 0° and α_lon = 0°. Right: topographic maps for several configurations. (a) α_lat = 0° and α_lon = 0° (current topography). (b) α_lat = 0° and α_lon = 150°. (c) α_lat = 75° and α_lon = 0°. (d) α_lat = 75° and α_lon = 150°. The transition from (a) to (b) correspond to a variation in α_lon resulting in a longitudinal rotation of the topography. The transition from (a) to (c) correspond to a variation in the α_lat angle resulting in a latitudinal rotation. The transition from (a) to (d) represents a combined variation in both angles. Letter A–E indicate the locations of the principal provinces of Venus, with A=A phrodite Terra, B=Ishtar Terra, C=Alta Regio, D=Guinevere Planitia, and E=Lavinia Planitia.