Venus shows signs of new, active volcanic activity, study says

In an official publication from the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), A team of researchers points out that Venus shows signs of active volcanic activity. To confirm the discovery, scientists conducted a full analysis of data collected by the Magalhäes probe, named after Portuguese sailor Fernão de Magalhão, in the early 1990s.

In the study published in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy, researchers point out that data obtained from the 1990s helped discover an active volcano on Venus last year. They detected the formation of new rocks, possibly due to lava flows from erupting volcanoes.. In fact, radar evidence indicates that this is the last recorded eruption we observe in 2023.

As NASA explained, the images captured were the first direct evidence of an active eruption on Venus. Recent volcanism is another piece of the puzzle of the planet’s evolutionary path, and may perhaps indicate why it followed a different formation fate than Earth.

“Using these maps as a guide, our results suggest that Venus may be much more volcanically active than previously thought,” Davide Sulcanese, a scientist at Annunzio University (Italy), told NASA in a statement. By analyzing the lava flows we observed in two places on the planet, “We discovered that volcanic activity on Venus may be comparable to that on Earth,” he said.

Volcanism on Venus: What does NASA say?

The Magellan probe from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory managed to map approximately 98% of the surface of Venus in just two years, between 1990 and 1992. To date, the images collected by the radar remain the most detailed images of the rocky planet.

The celestial body is considered ‘Earth’s sibling’ due to its similar characteristics, but there are some important differences. To contain, Volcanism may explain why Venus has a different path than what happens on Earth.

NASA notes that the most studied areas on Venus are the western part of Niobe Planitia, a region full of volcanism, and the Sif Mons volcano itself in the Eistla Regio region. The verification came after scientists interpreted tilt data from Venus’ topography.Sif Mons, which contains lava flows that can be 3 to 20 meters deep, may have produced 30 kilometers of volcanic rock.

“This exciting study provides another example of volcanic change on Venus from new lava flows enhancing the vent change that Dr. Robert Herrick and I reported last year. This result, together with previous discoveries of current geological activity, adds to the interest in the planetary science community of Venus.” increases excitement for future missions,” said Scott Hensley, NASA Senior Research Scientist and co-author of the study.

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