Discoveries

March 24, 2023

Beating Heart

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Astronomers discovered evidence that Venus is volcanically active, a finding that confirms decades-long speculation about the Earth’s fiery neighbor, National Geographic reported.

Venus and Earth are similar in size but they have some major differences: Venus lacks plate tectonics, is scalding hot and an outside view of its surface is wholly obfuscated by noxious clouds.

Past missions to the planet have been short-lived but they have provided evidence that the planet does have volcanoes – although their activity is debated.

Recently, a research team studied data collected by NASA’s Magellan space probe in 1991. The spacecraft encountered problems early in the mission, which caused it to only map around 43 percent of the planet, although at least twice, before plunging into Venus in October 1994.

When the team studied an area containing Venus’ highest volcano Maat Mons, they found an expanded volcanic vent that changed in shape and grew between February and October 1991.

During that time, matter appears to have flooded into an open vent, which increased from 0.8 to 1.5 square miles in size, and a new stream of material appears to have leaked downslope.

Researchers suggest that these changes occurred because of a huge eruption of lava that filled the expanding vent, while the rest poured over the rim or bled through a fissure.

“We can now say that Venus is presently volcanically active in the sense that there are at least a few eruptions per year,” co-author Robert Herrick said in a statement.

Herrick noted that future missions to Venus – namely NASA’s VERITAS and Europe’s EnVision – could unveil more mysteries about the planet’s “volcanic heartbeat.”

This story originally appeared in the March 24, 2023 newsletter, When Hate Comes To Town.