• Scientists discover volcanoes on Venus a

    From ScienceDaily@1337:3/111 to All on Mon Jul 20 21:30:24 2020
    Scientists discover volcanoes on Venus are still active
    New 3D model provides evidence that Venus is churning inside

    Date:
    July 20, 2020
    Source:
    University of Maryland
    Summary:
    A new study identified 37 recently active volcanic structures
    on Venus.

    The study provides some of the best evidence yet that Venus is
    still a geologically active planet.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    A new study identified 37 recently active volcanic structures on
    Venus. The study provides some of the best evidence yet that Venus
    is still a geologically active planet. A research paper on the work,
    which was conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland and
    the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, was published
    in the journal Nature Geoscience on July 20, 2020.


    ========================================================================== "This is the first time we are able to point to specific structures and
    say 'Look, this is not an ancient volcano but one that is active today,
    dormant perhaps, but not dead,'" said Laurent Monte'si, a professor
    of geology at UMD and co-author of the research paper. "This study significantly changes the view of Venus from a mostly inactive planet to
    one whose interior is still churning and can feed many active volcanoes." Scientists have known for some time that Venus has a younger surface
    than planets like Mars and Mercury, which have cold interiors. Evidence
    of a warm interior and geologic activity dots the surface of the planet
    in the form of ring-like structures known as coronae, which form when
    plumes of hot material deep inside the planet rise through the mantle
    layer and crust. This is similar to the way mantle plumes formed the
    volcanic Hawaiian Islands.

    But it was thought that the coronae on Venus were probably signs of
    ancient activity, and that Venus had cooled enough to slow geological
    activity in the planet's interior and harden the crust so much that any
    warm material from deep inside would not be able to puncture through. In addition, the exact processes by which mantle plumes formed coronae
    on Venus and the reasons for variation among coronae have been matters
    for debate.

    In the new study, the researchers used numerical models of thermo-mechanic activity beneath the surface of Venus to create high-resolution, 3D
    simulations of coronae formation. Their simulations provide a more
    detailed view of the process than ever before.

    The results helped Monte'si and his colleagues identify features that are present only in recently active coronae. The team was then able to match
    those features to those observed on the surface of Venus, revealing that
    some of the variation in coronae across the planet represents different
    stages of geological development. The study provides the first evidence
    that coronae on Venus are still evolving, indicating that the interior
    of the planet is still churning.

    "The improved degree of realism in these models over previous studies
    makes it possible to identify several stages in corona evolution and
    define diagnostic geological features present only at currently active coronae," Monte'si said.

    "We are able to tell that at least 37 coronae have been very recently
    active." The active coronae on Venus are clustered in a handful
    of locations, which suggests areas where the planet is most active,
    providing clues to the workings of the planet's interior. These results
    may help identify target areas where geologic instruments should be
    placed on future missions to Venus, such as Europe's EnVision that is
    scheduled to launch in 2032.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Maryland. Note:
    Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Anna J. P. Gu"lcher, Taras V. Gerya, Laurent G. J. Monte'si, Jessica
    Munch. Corona structures driven by plume-lithosphere interactions
    and evidence for ongoing plume activity on Venus. Nature Geoscience,
    2020; DOI: 10.1038/s41561-020-0606-1 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200720112333.htm

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