{"id":213996,"date":"2025-05-10T01:14:53","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T15:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/science-research\/astromaterials\/nasa-study-reveals-venus-crust-surprise\/"},"modified":"2025-05-10T01:14:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T15:14:53","slug":"nasa-study-reveals-venus-crust-surprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=213996","title":{"rendered":"NASA Study Reveals Venus Crust Surprise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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3 min read<\/p>\n

NASA Study Reveals Venus Crust Surprise<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Venus<\/a><\/figure>
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This global view of the surface of Venus is centered at 180 degrees east longitude. Magellan synthetic aperture radar mosaics from the first cycle of Magellan mapping are mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Data gaps are filled with Pioneer Venus Orbiter data, or a constant mid-range value. Simulated color is used to enhance small-scale structure. The simulated hues are based on color images recorded by the Soviet Venera 13 and 14 spacecraft. <\/div>\n
NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

New details about the crust on Venus include some surprises about the geology of Earth\u2019s hotter twin, according to new NASA-funded research that describes movements of the planet\u2019s crust.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Scientists expected the outermost layer of Venus\u2019 crust would grow thicker and thicker over time given its apparent lack of forces that would drive the crust back into the planet\u2019s interior. But the paper, published <\/a>in Nature Communications, proposes a crust metamorphism process based on rock density and melting cycles.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Earth\u2019s rocky crust is made up of massive plates that slowly move, forming folds and faults in a process known as plate tectonics. For example, when two plates collide, the lighter plate slides on top of the denser one, forcing it downward into the layer beneath it, the mantle. This process, known as subduction, helps control the thickness of Earth\u2019s crust. The rocks making up the bottom plate experience changes caused by increasing temperature and pressure as it sinks deeper into the interior of the planet. Those changes are known as metamorphism, which is one cause of volcanic activity.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In contrast, Venus has a crust that is all one piece, with no evidence for subduction caused by plate tectonics like on Earth, explained Justin Filiberto, deputy chief<\/a> of NASA\u2019s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston and a co-author on the paper. The paper used modeling to determine that its crust is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) thick on average and at most 40 miles (65 kilometers) thick.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is surprisingly thin, given conditions on the planet,\u201d said Filiberto. \u201cIt turns out that, according to our models, as the crust grows thicker, the bottom of it becomes so dense that it either breaks off and becomes part of the mantle or gets hot enough to melt.\u201d So, while Venus has no moving plates, its crust does experience metamorphism. This finding is an important step toward understanding geological processes and evolution of the planet.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThis breaking off or melting can put water and elements back into the planet\u2019s interior and help drive volcanic activity,\u201d added Filiberto. \u201cThis gives us a new model for how material returns to the interior of the planet and another way to make lava and spur volcanic eruptions. It resets the playing field for how the geology, crust, and atmosphere on Venus work together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The next step, he added, is to gather direct data about Venus\u2019 crust to test and refine these models. Several upcoming missions, including NASA\u2019s DAVINCI <\/a>(Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) and VERITAS<\/a> (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) and, in partnership with ESA (European Space Agency), Envision<\/a>, aim to study the planet\u2019s surface and atmosphere in greater detail. These efforts could help confirm whether processes like metamorphism and recycling are actively shaping the Venusian crust today\u2014and reveal how such activity may be tied to volcanic and atmospheric evolution.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t actually know how much volcanic activity is on Venus,\u201d Filiberto said. \u201cWe assume there is a lot, and research says there should be, but we\u2019d need more data to know for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Melissa Gaskill<\/em><\/strong>
NASA Johnson Space Center<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Media Contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Karen Fox \/ Molly Wasser<\/strong>
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov \/ molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Victoria Segovia<\/strong>
NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center
281-483-5111
victoria.segovia@nasa.gov<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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