Witnessing the blood-red fires of a volcanic eruption on Earth is memorable. But seeing molten rock flow from a volcano on another planet would be extraordinary. That’s almost identical to what scientists discovered on Venus: two vast, serpentine lava flows flowing from two different corners of Earth’s neighboring planet.
“After you see something like this, the first reaction is ‘wow’,” said Davide Sulcanesea doctoral student at the Università d’Annunzio in Pescara, Italy, and author of a study reporting this discovery in the journal Natural astronomypublished on Monday.
Earth and Venus were forged at the same time. Both are made of the same primordial matter, and both are the same age and size. So why is Earth a paradise filled with water and life, while Venus is a scorching hell with acidic skies?
Volcanic eruptions change the atmospheres of planets. One theory suggested that, many millennia ago, several apocalyptic eruptions caused a widespread greenhouse effect on Venus, transforming it from a temperate, waterlogged world into an arid desert with fragments burned glass.
To better understand its volcanic activity, scientists hope to catch a Venus eruption in progress. But even though the planet is known to be covered in volcanoes, the opaque atmosphere prevented anyone from seeing an eruption the way spacecraft detected them. Io, Jupiter’s supervolcanic moon.
In the 1990s, NASA’s Magellan spacecraft used cloud-penetrating radar to survey most of the planet. But back then, relatively low-resolution images made detecting new molten rock a troublesome task.
Using modern software to study Magellan’s data, scientists have now found two clear lava flows: one flowing down the slopes of Sif Mons, a broad shield volcano, and another The other winds through the western part of the Niobe Planitia, a flat, pockmarked plain. many volcanoes.
Many planetary scientists think Venus is bubbling and erupting. “But it’s one thing to suspect it and another thing to know it,” said. Paul Byrnea planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis, who was not involved in the new study.
Venus lack of plate tectonics Earth. But its similar rocky structure and comparable size suggest that something is still cooking inside the sun’s second planet – and it may be volcanically active.
There is indirect supporting evidence: Volcanic gases still exist in the sky of Venus and how it is Parts of the planet glow shows that they were covered by lava recent geological past.
Direct evidence of the volcano’s final and surprising fury emerged in 2023, when researchers encountered a The crater doubled in size and may be filled with lava in old Magellanic data. Other scientists still yearn for signs of clear lava flows, an almost literal smoking gun.
Mr. Sulcanese granted their wishes. He found river-like patches of light on Sif Mons and Niobe Planitia in later Magellan survey images that were not available in earlier data. After carefully ruling out other possibilities, including landslides, his team concluded that lava was the only plausible explanation.
“Magellan is the gift that keeps on giving,” said Stephen Kanea planetary astrophysicist at the University of California, Riverside, who was not involved in the new study.
Both lava flows were comparable in size to the output of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano during its activity. three-month paroxysm in 2018. And using these two eruptions, the study’s authors estimate that there is significantly more eruptive activity than previously assumed – and it is happening elsewhere in the world. planet at the present time.
“Venus is active,” said Giuseppe Mitrian astronomer at Universidad d’Annunzio and author of the study.
More importantly, volcanically speaking, Venus is “Earth-like,” say Anna Gulchera planetary scientist at the California Institute of Technology who was not involved in this work.
This result also adds complexity expected discovery of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus; Phosphine is a substance commonly found on Earth with living organisms. But other explanations exist for its possible presence on Venus cannot be ruled out. Volcanic activity could also produce phosphine, but rebuttals to that idea claim that Venus simply does not have enough volcanoes to produce it.
“Oh, it seems there is,” Dr. Kane said.
The only way to find better answers – about phosphine, Venus’ volcanic rhythm, its cataclysmic transformation – is to return to the planet. Luckily, a new fleet of spacecraft has arrived plans to do that in the 2030s.
While we wait, Magellan’s memory will continue to bring unexpected gifts.
“We can start to think of Venus as a living, breathing world,” Dr. Byrne said.
