Venus Might Be As Volcanically Active As Earth.

Venus is getting more volcanically active

May 31, 2024

“Venus” by Meredith Garstin is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Present day Venus is thought to be as volcanic as Earth

Current volcanic activity on Venus may be more widespread than previously thought. A recent examination of data collected by NASA’s Magellan spacecraft in the early 1990s has revealed evidence of recent lava flows on the planet’s surface. This discovery, reported in a study published in Nature Astronomy on May 27, suggests that Venus may be more geologically active than previously believed. Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist from Washington University in St. Louis, commented that this finding represents a significant advancement in our understanding of Venus as a dynamic planetary body.

Although Venus was previously believed to be geologically inactive despite its similar size to Earth, recent discoveries have indicated otherwise. Scientists have found evidence of volcanic activity on Venus, such as a volcanic vent changing shape and potentially spilling lava. Researchers have also identified signs of volcanism on Venus’s large surface, which is three times larger than Earth’s dry land area. By analyzing radar images from the Magellan spacecraft, scientists have observed long sinuous features on Venus that appear to be lava flows. While the resolution of the data and the vastness of Venus make it challenging to detect such activity, researchers believe there may be more evidence of active volcanism waiting to be uncovered. Future missions, like NASA’s DAVINCI and VERITAS probes, are expected to provide more detailed mapping of Venus, creating the identification of volcanic activity.