Scientists discover proof of active volcanoes on Venus
If you are a space enthusiast and wondering what’s new on this front, let us tell you that geophysicists based at University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA recently discovered traces of active volcanoes on the surface of Earth’s neighbouring planet. No, it is not on Mars, but Venus.
As many of you may know, the surface of Venus is one of the most challenging ones to analyse. Why? Because it has a dense atmosphere, combined with uninterrupted cloud layer (at an elevation of 45 to 65 kilometres) that is opaque to almost all radiation wavelengths, including the light visible to naked human eye. Okay so how did this discovery happen then?
Turns out, the scientists, such as the lead author of the paper Robert Herrick were going through hundreds of hours of archival data from the Magellan mission that happened more than three decades ago. It was launched by NASA in 1989 to study Venus and had gathered numerous clues of such volcanic activity that had remained unexplored till date.
Sources cite that the researchers have found the radar images to be extremely useful. They were captured at different locations on the planet and provide brand-new information including alterations in surface tensions as well as other modified surface characteristics that they believe was the result of severe active volcanic eruptions during that time. In fact, they focussed on what they consider as volcanic zones and realised that an image that was taken on October 1991 varied from those captured in February the same year. The latter had no sign of volcanic activity, but the former contained rugged terrains and molten lava on the surface, both of which can only be explained by volcanic eruptions that might have taken place during those 8 months in between. Not only that, but there was also significant increase in size. In addition, one had no volcanic vent as opposed to the other oozing volcanic substances and changing its shape overnight. Later, this particular volcanic zone was also identified as Atla Region which is a vast highland region near the equator of Venus that houses two of the planet’s prominent volcanoes, Ozza Mons and Maat Mons.
Interestingly, this region was long been considered as volcanically active but until recently there was no evidence. Now, finally, it has been revealed that Maat Mons was not only active in the 1990s during the Magellan mission but was even captured by the then cutting-edge synthetic aperture radar imaging technology. It was meant to measure the planetary gravitational field of Venus. But instead, it clicked additional photos of the volcanic vent that seemed to change from steep to circular, with a bent of 2.2 square kilometres within only a few months. Alongside, it drained lava down its exterior slopes, thus doubling in size.
The latest study was published in the journal Science and revealed direct geological evidence of active volcanoes on Venus. It comes right ahead of NASA’s upcoming Venus mission VERITAS set for 2030.