The first evidence of volcanic activity on the surface of Venus has been found.
Venus, the closest planet to Earth, is also known to have volcanic features, but it was unclear whether the geologically young surface was the result of ancient volcanic activity or ongoing volcanic activity. .
The new evidence comes from a human-powered study of radar images from NASA’s Magellan spacecraft, which orbited Venus from 1990 to 1994 and took the first images of Venus’ entire surface. Magellan was the first planetary probe launched from the Space Shuttle in 1989.
A series of images (higher resolution has only recently become available) do not go so far as to reveal the erupting volcano, but a mile that has changed shape over the course of eight months. 1.6 km) The four craters are shown.This research was published in Science on March 15.publishwas done.
This is evidence of lava flows erupting from the crater, and is a clear indication of ongoing volcanic activity on Venus, the researchers said.
The crater is part of the Maat Mountains, huge shield volcanoes that rise up to three miles above the surrounding plains.
Hemisphere map of Venus centered at 180 degrees east longitude (NASA/JPL/USGS)
“Estimations of the frequency of eruptions on Venus are still uncertain, ranging from large eruptions occurring several times a year to eruptions occurring once every few years or even decades,” says Geophysics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Professor Robert Herrick of the Research Institute of Science says. “Now we can say that Venus is volcanically active, which means at least a few eruptions per year.”
This is great news for the two upcoming Venus missions (DaVinci Plus) and VERITAS, both of which are scheduled to launch between 2028 and 2030.
DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry, and Imaging Plus) analyzes Venus’ atmosphere to explore how the planet formed and evolved. I’m trying to find out if there was once an ocean there.
VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) is the first project since Magellan to study the surface of Venus. Observe through the obstructing clouds using a powerful radar system as you orbit the . The project will use radar to create a 3D map of all of Venus, use near-infrared spectroscopy to study surface materials, and measure Venus’ gravitational field to determine the structure of the planet’s interior.
“We hope that upcoming missions to Venus will observe new volcanic flows that have occurred since the Magellan mission ended 30 years ago,” Herrick says. “While the two orbital missions are collecting images, we should be able to see some volcanic activity.”
