Venus Shows Increased Volcanic Activity, Study Reveals

May 31, 2024

According to scientists, Venus, Earth’s nearest neighbor planet, has more volcanic activity than was thought before. Researchers concluded by looking at old radar images collected by NASA’s Magellan probe during its time orbiting Venus from 1990 to 1992.

Magellan’s Role in Venusian Research

It gave a lot of information because it mapped out about 98% of Venus’s surface. Recent improvements in computers have made it possible to look more closely at these radar images, which has led to discoveries about Venus’s geological processes. Based on this study, Venus may have about the same amount of volcanic activity as Earth.

New Volcanic Sites Identified

The study mostly looked at two places: Sif Mons, a big volcano in Eistla Regio that is about 300 km wide, and a huge volcanic plain in Niobe Planitia. When radar pictures from different times were compared, they showed that new lava flows had spread over 30 square kilometres near Sif Mons and 45 square kilometers in Niobe Planitia. Recent volcanic action is likely to be behind these flows.

Characteristics of Venusian Volcanoes

Both of the discovered volcanoes are shield volcanoes, which are like the volcanoes in Hawaii. They have wide, gentle slopes that are made from lava that flows easily. The new information showed that the lava came from slopes facing west in Sif Mons and from small shield volcanoes facing northeast in Niobe Planitia.

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