A corresponding view of the Tales Tesera above, in an area on Venus where Byrne et al. Identify the presence of layering. Image created from NASA’s Magellan mission data. Credit: North Carolina State University
An international team of researchers has discovered that some of the most ancient terrain on Venus, known as Tessera, has layering that seems to be consistent with volcanic activity. This discovery could provide insights into the geological history of the mysterious planet.
Tessie are virtually distorted regions on the surface of Venus that are often higher than the surrounding landscape. They cover about 7% of the planet’s surface, and are about 750 million years old, the oldest feature ever in their immediate vicinity. A new study is coming in Geology, Researchers show that a significant portion of Tessie has layering consistent with layering.
“There are usually two revelations for Tessie – either it’s made up of volcanic rocks, or it’s the equivalent of the Earth’s crust,” says Paul Byrne, an associate professor of planetary science at North Carolina State University and lead author of the study. “But the layering we find on some Tessira is not consistent with the continental crust explanation.”
The team analyzed surface images of Venus from NASA’s 1989 Magellan mission, which used radar to eclipse 98% of the planet through its Gaense atmosphere. Researchers have studied Tessie for decades, while prior to this work, Tesser’s layering has not been widely recognized. And according to Byron, if Tessira were part of the continents, that layering would not be possible.
“The continental crust is composed primarily of granite, which becomes a mesh rock when tectonic plates move and water is abducted from the surface,” says Byrne. “But granite does not form layers. If Venus has a fractured crust, it is beneath the rocks below.
“Apart from volcanic activity, another way to create layered stone is by collecting silt like sandstone or limestone. There is not a single place on Venus today where such rocks can form. The surface of Venus is as hot as it is. Self-cleaning oven and The pressure is about 900 meters (about 985 yards) underwater. Therefore, the evidence points to some part of Tesra, which is made up of the same stratified volcanic rock found on Earth. “
Byrne hopes the work will help shed light on Venus’ more complex geological history.
“Now that our data points to the origin of volcanoes for Tessie, if we could one day be able to sample them and find them to be sedimentary rocks, they would have formed when the weather was very different, maybe even Earth.” , “Says Byron.
“Venus is hell today, but we don’t know if it was always like this or not. Was it once like the earth, but a catastrophic volcano erupting that destroyed the earth? We can’t say for sure right now, but the fact of the structure in the stoneway Tesra The potential origin of the rock has been reduced. “
The research team includes scientists from the US, UK, Turkey, Canada and Russia. Images came from NASA’s Planetary Data System and Astrophysics Data System.
Mercury’s volcanic activity – or lack thereof – could help astronomers explore another world like Earth
Paul Paul K. Byrne et al, Venus Tessy facility, layered, closed and fractured rocks, Geology (2020). DOI: 10.1130 / G47940.1
Provided by North Carolina State University
Testimonial: Venus’s ancient layered, folded rocks point to volcanic roots (2020, September 17) Retrieved September 18, 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2020-09-venus-ancient-layered-volcanic.html
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