Recent findings from NASA's Magellan mission reveal ongoing volcanic activity on Venus, marking the second instance of direct evidence of such activity on the planet's surface, according to the space agency.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Rock Formations from Lava Flows
Italian scientists identified surface changes indicative of new rock formations resulting from lava flows associated with volcanic eruptions that occurred during the spacecraft's orbit of Venus in the early 1990s.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California manages Magellan mission and it provided detailed mapping of 98% of Venus' surface from 1990 to 1992, offering unprecedented insights into the planet's geological features.
Lead researcher Davide Sulcanese from d'Annunzio University in Pescara, Italy, highlighted the significance of the discovery, suggesting that Venus might be more volcanically active than previously assumed.
The study builds upon the 2023 revelation of volcanic changes observed near Venus' equator, providing further evidence of recent volcanic activity. These findings contribute to a better understanding of Venus' geological history and its divergence from Earth's evolutionary path, according to NASA.
The study focused on archival data from Magellan's synthetic aperture radar, which penetrated Venus' dense cloud cover to capture surface features.
By analyzing radar signals reflected from two specific locations on Venus - the volcano Sif Mons in Eistla Regio and the western part of Niobe Planitia - the researchers detected increased signal strength over a two-year period, suggesting the solidification of lava flows from volcanic eruptions.
The analysis ruled out alternative explanations, such as micro-dunes or atmospheric interference, confirming the presence of new lava flows.
Marco Mastrogiuseppe from Sapienza University of Rome explained the interpretation of the radar signals as lava flows along slopes or plains, circumventing obstacles like shield volcanoes.
Comparisons with lava flows on Earth allowed the researchers to estimate the depth and extent of the new rock formations on Venus, with the eruptions covering significant areas comparable to terrestrial volcanic events.
The study's findings not only highlight the dynamic nature of Venus' surface but also inform future exploration missions. Scott Hensley from JPL, a co-author of a previous study on Venus' volcanic activity, expressed excitement about the implications for NASA's upcoming VERITAS mission, designed to comprehensively map Venus' surface and investigate its geological processes.
VERITAS, equipped with advanced radar and spectrometry instruments, aims to provide unprecedented insights into Venus' geological composition and volcanic activity.
"These new discoveries of recent volcanic activity on Venus by our international colleagues provide compelling evidence of the kinds of regions we should target with VERITAS when it arrives at Venus," Suzanne Smrekar, a senior scientist at JPL and principal investigator for VERITAS, said in an official statement.
"Our spacecraft will have a suite of approaches for identifying surface changes that are far more comprehensive and higher resolution than Magellan images. Evidence for activity, even in the lower-resolution Magellan data, supercharges the potential to revolutionize our understanding of this enigmatic world."
