Venus has thousands more volcanoes than we thought, and they might be active

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An artist’s interpretation of volcanic exercise at a volcano-like construction, often known as a corona, on Venus. (Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Peter Rubin)

Lower than a month in the past, scientists have been not sure if Venus had energetic volcanoes. Now, a brand new map reveals that there may very well be no less than 85,000 of them protecting the floor of the hellish planet.

Till not too long ago, specialists believed that Venus was most likely a geologically useless planet that was incapable of volcanic eruptions. Prior to now, scientists recognized hundreds of volcanoes on Venus, in addition to coronas — flattened volcano-like options lined in solidified lava. The planet has a gooey flowing mantle beneath its outer crust, and its environment is wealthy with carbon dioxide and sulfur, indicating that the planet had a volcanic previous. Nonetheless, Venus not has any tectonic plates, which play a key function in volcanic exercise and main eruptions on Earth. For that motive, scientists deemed it unlikely that any of the Venusian volcanos have been at present or had not too long ago been energetic.