Could Convection in the Crust Explain Venus’ Many Volcanoes?
Washington University in St. LouisVenus — a hot planet pocked with tens of thousands of volcanoes — may be even more geologically active near its surface than previously thought. New calculations by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis suggest that the planet’s outer crust may be constantly churning, an unexpected phenomenon called convection that could help explain many of the volcanoes and other features of the Venusian landscape.