One type of tessera terrain on enus, the trough-and-ridge tessera, exhibits a distinctivemorhology comosed of throughgoing generally parallel linear valleys and shorter orthogonal valleys and ridges. The similarity of this pattern to oceanic crusal topography and morphology is examined. Oceanic crust on Earth is characterized by a distinctive orthogonal pattern, with transforms and fracture zones in one direction and linear abyssal hills developed parallel to the rise crest in the other. Similarities between the components of the tessera terrain and erresstrial seafloor fabric and structure are found in terms of linearity, parallelism, length, width, spacing, orthogonality, and general morphology. A differene is that trough and ridge tessera tend to occur as plateau-like regions at intermediate elevations (average ~2 km) above the surrounding plains, while terrestrial seafloor ranges in elevation from that observed at rise crests and oceanic plateaus such as Icceland, down to depths of several kilometes on the abyssal floors, where the orthogonal pattern is often masked by sedimentation. On the basis of the similarities it is proposed that trough-and-ridge tessera may have originated through processes analogous to those responsible for the ocean floor fabric on Earth, forming at a rise crest similar to divergent boundaries on the Earth's seafloor, and evolving to its present morphology and configuratin through processes of crustal spreading. The plateau-like nature of the trough-and-ridge tessera distribution could be the result of localized crustal thickening in the spreading proccess, producing elevated Iceland-like plateaus whose texture is preserved from subsequent lowland volcanic flooding. Some regions of more complex tessera can be tested with global high-resolution imaging and altimetry data and gravity data from the Magellan mission. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1990