Venus probably has active volcanoes right now

Related: Corona structures driven by plume–lithosphere interactions and evidence for ongoing plume activity on Venus (Nature Geoscience)

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Source: Space.com

Venus probably has active volcanoes right now

By Mike Wall 8 hours ago

Not all of the hellishly hot planet's volcanoes are dead, a new study suggests.

Venus is a geologically active world today, a new study suggests.

Researchers have identified three dozen features on Venus that were likely created by volcanism in the very recent past, potentially reshaping our understanding of the hellishly hot planet and its evolution.

"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,'" study co-author Laurent Montési, a professor of geology at the University of Maryland, said in a statement. "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 long known that Venus remained active long after fellow rocky planets Mercury and Mars lost their geological mojo. The second rock from the sun sports far fewer craters than those two worlds, a count that's consistent with a global resurfacing event some 500 million to 700 million years ago. (Our solar system's other inner rocky planet, Earth, remains extremely active today, of course.)

But recently, evidence has been building that Venus' volcanic activity continued much later into the planet's history — perhaps even through to the present day. And the new study bolsters that viewpoint.

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Read more: https://www.space.com/venus-active-volcanoes-coronae.html