TY - JOUR
T1 - Recent hotspot volcanism on venus from VIRTIS emissivity data
AU - Smrekar, Suzanne E.
AU - Stofan, Ellen R.
AU - Mueller, Nils
AU - Treiman, Allan
AU - Elkins-Tanton, Linda
AU - Helbert, Joern
AU - Piccioni, Giuseppe
AU - Drossart, Pierre
PY - 2010/4/30
Y1 - 2010/4/30
N2 - The questions of whether Venus is geologically active and how the planet has resurfaced over the past billion years have major implications for interior dynamics and climate change. Nine "hotspots"-areas analogous to Hawaii, with volcanism, broad topographic rises, and large positive gravity anomalies suggesting mantle plumes at depth-have been identified as possibly active. This study used variations in the thermal emissivity of the surface observed by the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer on the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft to identify compositional differences in lava flows at three hotspots. The anomalies are interpreted as a lack of surface weathering. We estimate the flows to be younger than 2.5 million years and probably much younger, about 250,000 years or less, indicating that Venus is actively resurfacing.
AB - The questions of whether Venus is geologically active and how the planet has resurfaced over the past billion years have major implications for interior dynamics and climate change. Nine "hotspots"-areas analogous to Hawaii, with volcanism, broad topographic rises, and large positive gravity anomalies suggesting mantle plumes at depth-have been identified as possibly active. This study used variations in the thermal emissivity of the surface observed by the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer on the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft to identify compositional differences in lava flows at three hotspots. The anomalies are interpreted as a lack of surface weathering. We estimate the flows to be younger than 2.5 million years and probably much younger, about 250,000 years or less, indicating that Venus is actively resurfacing.
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U2 - 10.1126/science.1186785
DO - 10.1126/science.1186785
M3 - Article
C2 - 20378775
AN - SCOPUS:77951777467
VL - 328
SP - 605
EP - 608
JO - Science
JF - Science
SN - 0036-8075
IS - 5978
ER -