Evidence of active volcanism on Venus – Money.pl

2015-06-22 11:20

[Photo: sxc / cc / dimitri c]

Venus Express spacecraft has obtained evidence that on Venus there are active volcanoes. The researchers observed in the infrared brightness changes in some places within a few days – said the European Space Agency (ESA).

The Venus’ surface is hidden beneath a thick layer of the atmosphere, but previous space missions using radar research It revealed that this planet has volcanoes and ancient lava flows.

The Venus is almost the same size as Earth and similar internal structure, ruled, therefore, that the internal heat source that needs to find some outlet. Some models suggest that five hundred million years ago the planet’s surface lava flooded. The issue of current volcanic activity, however, remained unresolved. The study planets using orbital probe Venus Express has been ongoing eight years and about volcanic activity was one of the major research issues.

Evidence running down gradually. In 2010, it reported that the infrared radiation of three volcanic regions is different than the surrounding terrain. As the explanation offered relatively young lava flows that have not yet overly influenced by weather processes. Age outflows of volcanic rated at 2.5 million years.

In 2012, the year brought further evidence. There has been a sudden increase in the concentration of sulfur dioxide in 2006-2007 and a slow decline in the next. Are a possible cause changes in the wind or just volcanic activity.

In a recent survey carried out in the infrared thermal emission maps of the surface by atmospheric window. Detected differences in the brightness of the local areas in images taken within a few days. The four “hot spots” occur in places which the radar images are known to be zones of tectonic trenches. Hot spots occur along the ditch Ganiki Chasma, near volcanoes Ozza Maat Mons and Mons.

“The observations are close to the limit of the probe and it was extremely difficult to do by covering their views of the thick cloud” – said Wojciech Markiewicz, co-author, which appeared in “Geophysical Research Letters”.

The areas seem a lot, because stretched over 100 km, but is the result of smudging picture of the impact of clouds. On the surface they are probably smaller. In the case of hot spots labeled as “object A” is calculated, it can be as low as 1 km square with the temperature 830 degrees Celsius, compared to the average level around 480 degrees Celsius.

connector / MRT /