Produced by: Tarun Mishra
A new analysis suggests that Venus may currently be volcanically active. This discovery is based on data collected over 30 years ago by a research group from Italy.
Led by David Sulcanese of Università d'Annunzio in Pescara, Italy, the team used radar data from the early 1990s to identify volcanic lava flows in two regions on Venus.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, indicate that volcanic activity on Venus is more widespread and current than previously thought.
Credit: NASA
The data was collected by the Magellan spacecraft, which orbited Venus between 1990 and 1992, providing high-resolution radar scans of the planet's surface.
The research identified lava flow features on the western flank of Sif Mons, a shield volcano, and the western part of Niobe Planitia, both located around 22° north latitude on Venus.
The team observed changes in surface scattering properties, such as roughness and composition, between radar scans from different cycles, suggesting new lava flows occurred during the Magellan mission.
Credit: NASA
The findings support earlier indirect evidence of volcanic activity on Venus, including atmospheric variations in sulfuric acid, changes in thermal emissivity data, and morphological analysis.
Credit: NASA
Estimates suggest that Venus may experience up to 120 volcanic eruptions per Earth year, with significant flow rates that could make its volcanic activity comparable to Earth's.
Future missions like VERITAS and EnVision will revisit Venus's surface, allowing for comparison with Magellan's data and potentially confirming ongoing volcanic activity over a 40-year period.