Maat Mons on the surface of Venus could be an active volcano.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
We have known for a while that our neighbor Venus is hell outside of EarthBut the new science suggests that it is even worse than we thought.
In addition to its toxic atmosphere and lead melting temperatures (literally), the second planet from the sun appears to host at least a few dozen active volcanoes that belch sulfur to add to the environment.
“This is the first time that we can point to specific structures and say, ‘Look, this is not an ancient volcano but one that is active today, perhaps inactive, but not dead,'” said Laurent Montési, professor of geology at the University of Maryland, in a statement. “This study significantly changes Venus’s view of a mostly dormant planet to one whose interior is still agitated and can fuel many active volcanoes.”
Montési is co-author of a new article published Monday in Nature Geoscience that identifies 37 “recently active volcanic structures” on Venus.
Perhaps ironically, geologically active planets with hot interiors tend to be better candidates for habitability, because a molten core can also fuel a magnetic field to deflect sterilizing radiation from the sun and space.
Venus, being the abandoned place it is, is the rare active planet that does not internally generate its own magnetic field. This planet is truly as inviting as a bite of barbed wire.
Scientists have known that there is evidence of volcanic activity on Venus for a time, but it was thought that they were probably the remnants of ancient activity.
See this:
BepiColombo heads to Mercury to learn about our …
5:21
Montési and colleagues used 3D models of Venus’ surface activity to observe the characteristics of the planet’s surface in a new way, helping them identify potentially active access points.
The team hopes that future missions to Venus can better see its eruptive nature. However, it may take a while, since many space programs are aiming at Mars right now.
However the BepiColombo spacecraft bound for Mercury It will do a couple of flybys to Venus over the next 13 months. So maybe we will get to know the worst place in the solar system soon enough.
