A team of researchers from the University of Trento discovered an underground lava tube on Venus, the first subsurface feature ever discovered on a volcanic world. The findings, detailed in a study published this month in Nature, may confirm long-held theories about Venus’s volcanism and how it shaped the planet.
“Our knowledge of Venus is still limited, and until now we have not had the opportunity to directly observe the processes occurring beneath the surface of Earth’s twin planet,” Lorenzo Bruzzone, a professor at the University of Trento and co-author of the study, said in a statement. “The identification of the volcanic cavity is therefore of particular importance, because it allows us to validate theories that for many years have only hypothesized their existence.”
secret cave
The scientists behind the study studied radio data collected by the Megalen mission between 1990 and 1992. The spacecraft passed through Venus’s dense clouds using synthetic aperture radar to map its surface.
The team analyzed radar images to search for signs of localized surface collapse, and found what they believe to be an empty, subsurface lava tube near the planet. Nux Mons Volcano. The lava tube is about 0.6 miles wide (1 kilometer), larger than tubes found on Earth and Mars. Its roof is about 490 feet (150 m) thick and has an empty cavity that is at least a quarter of a mile (375 m) high.
Lava tubes are underground tunnels that are formed by volcanic activity. They are usually formed as a by-product of basaltic lava flows, where low viscosity lava flows beneath the surface of the solidifying lava.
Venus is the most volcanically active planet in the Solar System, and the planet’s extreme volcanism has shaped its surface. Scientists have long theorized that Venus’s volcanic history may also result in a large underground network of lava tubes, but this has been difficult to detect until now because of the planet’s dense atmosphere.
underground tunnels
The discovery of the first lava tube on Venus suggests there may be more hidden beneath the planet’s surface. “This discovery contributes to a deeper understanding of the processes that have shaped the evolution of Venus and opens new perspectives for studying the planet,” Bruzon said.
The researchers behind the study suggest that new high-resolution images and data obtained by surface-penetrating radar systems are needed to determine whether there are more lava tubes on Venus.
Upcoming missions like NASA’s Veritas and the European Space Agency’s Envision, which are scheduled to launch in 2031, may have the ability to peer beneath the surface of Venus in search of ancient tunnels created by the planet’s volcanic history.
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