A computer generated view of a volcano on Venus called Sapas Mons.
(NASA / JPL)
Up to 37 recently active volcanic structures have been identified on Venus, providing groundbreaking evidence that Earth’s neighboring planet is still a geologically active world.
The surface of Venus is covered by volcanic features; In fact, it has more volcanoes than any other planet in the Solar System. At least 1,000 volcanic structures populate Venus, with approximately 65% of its surface a mosaic of volcanic lava plains. But none of these volcanoes has shown any signs of being active so far.
A new study by researchers at the University of Maryland, USA, and the ETH Institute for Geophysics Zurich, Switzerland, found 37 volcanoes on the planet that are inactive. Evidence suggests that these volcanoes were very recently active and are now sleeping, but far from dead.
The researchers say these findings could have some important implications, as knowledge of Venus’s most active geological locations could help identify where geological instruments should be placed for future Venus missions, such as EnVision from Europe or Shukrayaan-1 from India. .
“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 UMD and co-author of the research work. “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.”
Unlike Mars and Mercury, which have cold interiors, Venus has a much younger surface that seems to harbor a warm interior with continuous geological activity. Evidence of this is visible in the form of ring-shaped structures called crowns (Latin crowns), which are formed when columns of hot material rise from the subsoil, through the mantle layer and the crust. Similar phenomena were also responsible for the formation of Hawaii’s volcanic islands on Earth.
A global map of Venus showing active and inactive volcanic points.
(Anna Gülcher)
Until now, these crowns on Venus were believed to be signs of ancient activity, and our current neighbor had completely cooled off, so much so that its interior was as well as geologically dead. Furthermore, the crust of Venus was also believed to have hardened so much that it would not allow any warm material to pierce through to see the light of day.
But now, using numerical models of thermomechanical activity below the surface of Venus, researchers have created high-resolution 3D simulations of crown formation, providing a more detailed view of processes than ever before.
These simulations have helped researchers identify features that are only restricted to recently active crowns. By combining these features with the structures on the surface through Venus, Montési and her colleagues observed a variation in the crowns representing different stages of geological development.
“The improved degree of realism in these models compared to previous studies makes it possible to identify various stages in the evolution of the crown and define the diagnostic geological features present only in currently active crowns,” said Montési. “We can say that at least 37 crowns have been active recently.”
With this methodology, the researchers were able to obtain the first evidence of crowns on Venus that is still actively evolving, demonstrating that the interior of the planet remains alive and restless.
The study was published in the journal. Nature Geoscience earlier this week and can be accessed here.
** **
For updates on climate, science and COVID-19 on the go, download The Weather Channel app (in the Android and iOS store). It’s free!
.
