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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