Italian scientists have analyzed archived data from NASA's Magellan mission, dating back to the early 1990s, to highlight surface changes indicating the formation of new rocks from lava flows. Magellan, led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), mapped 98% of Venus's surface from 1990 to 1992, providing the most detailed images of the planet to date.
Maat Mons in a 3D perspective of Venus's surface. Radar data from the Magellan mission revealed lava flows extending over hundreds of miles (hundreds of kilometers).
Credit: NASA/JPL
"Our results show that Venus could be much more volcanically active than previously thought," said Davide Sulcanese from the University of D'Annunzio in Italy, the lead researcher of the study. The analysis of lava flows at two locations on Venus suggests volcanic activity comparable to that of Earth.
This discovery adds to that of 2023, which revealed changes in a vent associated with the Maat Mons volcano. By comparing radar images from Magellan, researchers observed alterations caused by flowing molten rock, providing direct evidence of a recent eruption.
Researchers used mission data to identify new rocks at Sif Mons and Niobe Planitia, suggesting lava flows dating back to the 1990s. They also studied altimetry data to determine the topography and locate obstacles around which lava might have flowed.
The results show that the eruptions produced rocks ranging from 10 to 65 feet (3 to 20 meters), covering dozens of square miles (dozens of square kilometers). These findings provide valuable insights into Venus's history and its evolution different from that of Earth.
NASA's VERITAS project, planned for the next decade, will use synthetic aperture radar to map Venus in 3D and identify volcanic activity. These new discoveries reinforce the interest in future missions to Venus.