In terms of size, mass, and density, Earth and Venus have many similarities. They should therefore both produce heat in their core, which, in the case of Earth, is released during volcanic eruptions - on average, 50 volcanoes erupt each year.
After decades of research and observation, no clear signs of volcanic activity had ever been detected on Venus, but a new American study has just revealed the existence of active volcanoes on the planet. The discovery process was difficult because Venus' atmosphere is very dense, with a continuous cloud layer at an altitude between 45 and 65 km, which is opaque at most wavelengths, including visible light.
New research will focus on the frequency and spatial distribution of volcanism on Venus (...)
In the early 1990s, more precisely between August 1990 and October 1994, NASA's Magellan probe used an innovative technique at the time that allowed it to collect very clear images of the surface of the planet Venus. Thanks to a technique called 'aperture synthesis', it was possible to find that 80% of the surface is covered by lava flows.
In the last 30 years, it was completely impossible to specify the age of these lava flows, the date of the last eruption, or even if an eruption was in progress. Some data was collected, through the dense clouds, which suggested that some of the lava covering the surface of the planet was quite recent and that there would even be active lava flows, due to the recording of some thermal anomalies. However, none of this information had been fully corroborated. Until today!
New research, promising data!
The recent study, published earlier this month, attests that changes on the surface of Venus are the result of volcanic activity. Thanks to an exhaustive comparison of the images taken by the Magellan probe between February and October 1991, it was possible to verify changes or new features on the surface of the planet.
Some of the images, taken from Maat Mons, one of the largest known volcanoes on Venus, whose altitude is about 5 km above the surrounding plains, show a circular volcanic crater about 1.5 km in diameter that, during the period indicated, almost doubled in size and became shallower, situations that could only have occurred due to active volcanism.
The new research will focus on the frequency and spatial distribution of volcanism on Venus, as many space scientists already thought the planet was volcanically active. Two missions, NASA's Veritas and the European Space Agency's (ESA) EnVision, with more modern equipment than Magellan's, have been approved and are in preparation. They will reach the orbit of Venus in 2034 and could provide valuable data.
Could the planet Venus be a viable alternative in the future, if humanity is forced to leave Earth?