New study confirms thesis on the presence of volcanic activity on Venus

O The study, published in the scientific journal Science, resulted from the analysis of radar images of the surface of Venus captured by the US space probe Magalhães between 1990 and 1992 (the probe was deactivated in 1994).

According to researchers from the US University of Alaska who conducted the analysis, the images reveal a volcanic chimney (one of the main structures of a volcano) that expanded and changed shape, indicating recent volcanic activity on the planet.

A volcanic chimney is a channel through which gases, lava and ash are expelled during an eruption. In depth, the chimneys sometimes have the shape of a slit, and the same slit may correspond to different chimneys.

Many volcanoes have been identified on the surface of Venus, and although none of them have been observed erupting, some previous studies have suggested that ongoing volcanic activity on Venus could occur in various regions of the planet.

In the new study, the scientists argue that the chimney of Venus’ highest volcano, Maat Mons, expanded and changed shape between two images taken in 1991 by the Magellan spacecraft, one in February and the other in October.

According to the Science article, changes to the adjacent surface could have been caused by a lava flow that emanated from the chimney, with researchers interpreting these changes as evidence of recent volcanic activity on Venus.

The surface of the planet is described as geologically young compared to that of all other rocky bodies in the Solar System, with the exception of Earth and Io, one of Jupiter’s moons.

In 2015, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that the Venus Express probe (already deactivated) had detected the presence of volcanic activity on the planet, after eight years of observations.

According to the ESA at the time, Venus has a surface covered with volcanoes and ancient “tongues” of lava.

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