Scientists Find Signs of Recent Tectonic Activity on Venus

Scientists have detected signs of recent tectonic processes on Venus.

Consensus

Scientists have found evidence of recent tectonic processes on Venus.
The study was published in a scientific journal (Nature or Nature Geoscience).
Rift valleys on Venus extend for about 40,000 kilometers and cover approximately 8% of the planet's surface.
These rift valleys form when sections of the crust spread apart, a process associated with tectonic activity.
Previous data from the NASA Magellan mission in the 1990s did not detect moving lithospheric plates on Venus.
It was previously believed that most fractures on Venus were older than 100 million years and inactive.
A new 3D model developed by an international team led by Professor Taras Gery from ETH Zurich suggests some rift zones may be significantly younger.
The model compares topography of rift valleys (Ganis, Dali, Devana) with active and decaying rift models.
Young rifts are associated with broad uplifts called rift flanks that may expand at 3–10 cm per year.
Unlike Earth, where erosion by water and wind shapes the landscape, on Venus uplifts subside due to crustal relaxation.
There is no evidence of Earth-style plate tectonics on Venus—no moving lithospheric plates have been found.
The findings suggest Venus’s crust is still deforming and geologically active.

The study was published in the journal Nature. — vm
The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience (NG). — m24
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