New Evidence Suggests Geological Activity on Venus

Swift Summary

• Decades-old NASA Magellan probe data shows evidence of active tectonics around circular volcanic formations called coronae on Venus.
• 52 out of 75 studied coronae appear geologically active, with observations suggesting processes resembling Earth’s subduction zones may be occurring locally.
• The findings challenge earlier assumptions that Venus is geologically inert and provide insight into the planet’s interior dynamics.
• Recent simulations and gravitational mapping predict rising mantle material under these structures, implying geological activity akin to Earth’s tectonics but in a localized and smaller scale.
• NASA’s upcoming VERITAS mission promises high-resolution data to confirm these observations for hundreds more coronae.

[Image Source: NASA/JPL-caltech]

!Scientific American