Posted in | News | Quantum Physics

Scientists May Have Spotted Active Volcanoes on Venus

Last week, new research reported evidence that suggests Venus is likely to be the home of active volcanoes, answering a question that scientists have wondered about for years, given the planets history of volcanism.

Image Credit: Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com

Lava flows may be just a few years old

Until scientists at the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) published their findings in Science Advances at the beginning of the new year, the Earth had been the only planet known to have active volcanoes. The team at USRA demonstrated that the lava flows on the surface of Venus may just be a few years old, providing strong evidence that the Earth is not alone in its volcanic activity.

Active volcanoes on Venus could unlock secrets about our planet

Volcanoes are known to have existed in the past on Mars and Earths moon. The only other place in the solar system apart from Earth that is known to have active volcanoes is on Jupiters moon, Lo.

The significance of finding signs of active valances on Venus is that it would provide a valuable source of information on the interiors of planets. The teams lead researcher, Dr. Justin Filiberto, suggests that studying Venuss volcanic activity could lead to important conclusions being drawn about our planet, and others. It could help scientists understand key activities, such as how planets cool, and even why active volcanism exists on Earth and Venus and not on other planets, such as on Mars, for example. The success of USRAs mission will lead to future studies that will seek to gain conclusive evidence on the active status of Venuss volcanoes.

Developing a method to study Venuss lava in the lab

Back in the 90s, NASAs Magellan spacecraft transmitted images that showed widespread lava flows on the surface of Venus, which suggests that there may be a vast number of potentially active volcanoes on the planet. The next decade saw the Venus Express orbiter of the European Space Agency (ESA) collect infrared data from these lava flows, revealing that some of them were recent, however, with the technology available, it was difficult to determine how recent they were.

Filibertos team created an experiment that allowed them to recreate the conditions on Venus to allow them to understand how minerals change and react over time, giving the team a way to understand just how old the lava flows on Venus are likely to be.

They took the information they had on the atmosphere of Venus and recreated it in a lab. They then observed how certain minerals behaved over time. The study showed that basalt, a mineral that is prevalent on Venus, reacts very fast under Venuss atmospheric conditions. The experiment revealed that in just a few weeks, magnetite and hematite coat basalt, which helped them to identify lava flows that had been imaged by the Venus Express in the 00s that were very young. Therefore, the data implied that due to the recency of the lava flows, Venus is probably home to active volcanoes.

Future studies will help us understand more about Earth

While the conditions on Venus do not allow for human exploration of the planet, with temperatures reaching over 800 degrees Fahrenheit, due to its proximity to the sun, scientists will continue to study these lava flows at a distance.

Future studies are planned to explore other volcanic materials, which should help to confirm the existence of active volcanoes. Further to this, more studies will likely take place that will help answer questions about Venus and about planetary behavior in general, such as how cooling takes place. Results from these prospective studies will undoubtedly help us gain a deeper understanding of our planet.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author expressed in their private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and conditions of use of this website.

Sarah Moore

Written by

Sarah Moore

After studying Psychology and then Neuroscience, Sarah quickly found her enjoyment for researching and writing research papers; turning to a passion to connect ideas with people through writing.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Moore, Sarah. (2020, January 07). Scientists May Have Spotted Active Volcanoes on Venus. AZoQuantum. Retrieved on October 07, 2024 from https://www.azoquantum.com/News.aspx?newsID=6826.

  • MLA

    Moore, Sarah. "Scientists May Have Spotted Active Volcanoes on Venus". AZoQuantum. 07 October 2024. <https://www.azoquantum.com/News.aspx?newsID=6826>.

  • Chicago

    Moore, Sarah. "Scientists May Have Spotted Active Volcanoes on Venus". AZoQuantum. https://www.azoquantum.com/News.aspx?newsID=6826. (accessed October 07, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Moore, Sarah. 2020. Scientists May Have Spotted Active Volcanoes on Venus. AZoQuantum, viewed 07 October 2024, https://www.azoquantum.com/News.aspx?newsID=6826.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this news story?

Leave your feedback
Your comment type
Submit

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.