Venus’ squishy surface shows signs of geothermal activity
Scientists believe that Venus and Earth formed from similar ingredients in the solar system. While the two planets share many similarities in terms of their composition and formation, they have evolved along different paths and today the planet, also referred to as Earth's twin, is a hellish world.
A recent study utilizing three-decade-old data from NASA's Magellan mission has revisited the cooling process of Venus and discovered that the thin regions of the planet's uppermost layer may provide an answer.
Venus does not have Earth-like tectonic plates that play a crucial role in managing heat. So, how the planet loses its heat and what processes shape its surface have been long-running questions in planetary science.
In this study, the researchers made new measurements of Venus' quasi-circular geological features called coronae visible in the Magellan images, concluding that coronae tend to be located where the planet’s lithosphere is at its thinnest and most active.
According to the researchers, a thin lithosphere allows more heat to escape from the planet's interior via buoyant plumes of molten rock rising to the outer layer. Typically, where there is enhanced heat flow, it often results in more volcanic activity below the surface. Therefore, coronae are probably indicating areas where current geological activity is happening and is affecting the planet's surface.
"While Venus doesn’t have Earth-style tectonics, these regions of thin lithosphere appear to be allowing significant amounts of heat to escape, similar to areas where new tectonic plates form on Earth’s seafloor," explains Suzanne Smrekar, a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, who led the study published in Nature Geoscience.
Scientists have found that Venus’ “squishy” surface shows signs of geothermal activity. This discovery provides a window into how planets like Earth may have had dynamic surfaces even before forming tectonic plates: https://t.co/frt0tpu9iD pic.twitter.com/WfE9kQhTvx
— NASA (@NASA) February 23, 2023
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