Latest NASA Study Finds Venus Likely Still Geologically Active After Decades

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - NASA analysis suggests that Venus remains geologically active. A study published in Science Advances on May 14, 2025, reveals that despite being closer to the sun, Venus’ surface is still shaped by internal activity more than 30 years after the Magellan spacecraft mapped it.

Scientists detected signs of hot material rising from Venus’ interior, indicating ongoing geological processes. This supports the idea that Venus has internal dynamics more akin to Earth’s than previously believed, even though it lacks tectonic plates.

“This research has provided a new and important insight into the possible subsurface processes currently shaping the surface of Venus,” said Gael Cascioli of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, who led the study, as quoted by Live Science.

The research focused on large ring-shaped features on Venus called coronae, formed when mantle heat pushes up the crust, causing collapse and circular patterns. Cascioli’s team simulated corona formation and compared it with Magellan data, finding surprising agreement. “We could hardly believe our eyes,” Cascioli told Scientific American.

Out of 75 coronae studied, 52 were found above lighter mantle clusters, suggesting active geological processes. “We can now say there are most likely various and ongoing active processes driving their formation,” said Anna Glcher, a University of Bern planetary scientist and co-leader of the study. “We believe these same processes may have occurred early in Earth’s history.”

Venus hosts hundreds of coronae, mostly in regions with thin, hot crust. Simulations show Venus’ crust can crack or melt at about 65 kilometers thickness, often thinner in many places. “That is surprisingly thin, given conditions on the planet,” noted Justin Filiberto, NASA’s Deputy Head of Astromineral Material Research and Exploration.

Filiberto explained that crust cracking or melting influences Venus’ surface and recycles water and materials internally, potentially triggering volcanic activity and affecting the atmosphere. “It reshapes the geological, crust, and atmospheric workings on Venus,” he said.

These findings pave the way for upcoming missions. NASA’s VERITAS will map Venus’ surface with higher resolution, while the DAVINCI mission, launching in 2029, will analyze the atmosphere and surface chemistry. The European Space Agency’s EnVision mission, planned for 2030, will conduct detailed mapping.

“These missions will deliver a level of detail that could revolutionize our understanding of Venus’s geology and its implications for early Earth,” said Suzanne Smrekar of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a co-author of the study.

Editor's Choice: Trump Cuts NASA Budget, US House Worries About Asteroid Strike

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

Study: Clean Hydrogen Source Could Power Earth for at Least 170,000 Years

3 hari lalu

Trump Cuts NASA Budget, US House Worries About Asteroid Strike

7 hari lalu

NASA Faces 24.3% Budget Cut: What's at Stake?

20 hari lalu

Katy Perry Breaks Silence on Backlash After Blue Origin Space Trip

24 hari lalu

NASA Discovers Odd Rock 'Skull Hill' on Mars

25 hari lalu

Indonesia Plans Global-Scale Space Research Development

27 hari lalu

Climate Expert Identifies Main Triggers Behind Earth's Surface Warming

32 hari lalu

"Smiley Face" Sky Phenomenon on April 25: What to Expect and How to View It

32 hari lalu

NASA's Oldest Astronaut Returns to Earth on His 70th Birthday

33 hari lalu

NASA's LunaRecycle Seeks Innovative Solutions for Human Waste on Moon

36 hari lalu