‘Continents’ on Venus Offer Scientists Surprising Insights on How Earth Evolved

Venus’s equivalent of continents has led experts to see it as an Earth twin that chose to live a different life.

Knewz.com has learned that a key difference between the two is that the second planet from the Sun is inhospitable.

Venus is known for its palls of poisonous gas, acid rain , extreme atmospheric pressure, and withering temperatures.

One of the main reasons for these conditions, however, is the lack of tectonic plates (the land masses making up the continents) which help regulate Earth’s temperature.

In turn, Venus has large plateaus called tesserae, and while they do resemble Earth’s landmasses, scientists have only recently gained insights into how they came to be.

These plates formed billions of years ago in more or less the same manner as Earth’s continents—which started when hard chunks of rock known as cratons pushed out from the core and landmasses formed around them.

Scientists currently know of 35 earthly cratons which are said to be constantly moving and grinding against each other.

Knowledge of Venus, however, is limited. The reason for the latter is that the noted conditions make exploration difficult.

Be that as it may, NASA ’s Magellan satellite was able to map the surface of the planet in great detail using a radar strobe between 1989 and 1994.

It was from this archival data that Associate Professor Fabio Capitanio, the study’s lead author, caught a glimpse of Venus’s land-forming processes and realized that they were not so different from Earth’s.

Capitanio, an academic from Monash University School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment, said : “We did not expect Venus, with its scorching 460°C surface temperature and lack of plate tectonics, to possess such complex geological features.”

“The study challenges our understanding of how planets evolve.”

He further noted the similarities between the two saying:

“This finding provides a fascinating new perspective on Venus and its potential links to early Earth.”

“The features we found on Venus are strikingly similar to Earth’s early continents, suggesting that the dynamics of Venus’ past may have been more similar to Earth’s than previously thought.”

He referred to Ishtar Terra, Venus’s largest plateau, claiming that it was likely produced by the planet’s hot core.

Capitano noted that not only could this theoretical model be imposed on the geological history of Earth but also every rocky planet in the galaxy —and possibly the universe.

The discovery has since created enthusiasm for future explorations of Venus.

“By studying similar features on Venus, we hope to unlock the secrets of Earth’s early history.”

“Our research has paved the way for future missions to Venus, such as DAVINCI [Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gasses, Chemistry, and Imaging], VERITAS [Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography and Spectroscopy], and EnVision [a satellite using various sensors including multi-resolution radar imaging, radar polarimetry and radiometry, and subsurface sounding].”

“These missions will provide further insights into Venus’ geological history and its connection to Earth,” Capitano enthused.