Venus May Host Active Tectonics Driven by Subsurface Plumes

Venus May Host Active Tectonics Driven by Subsurface Plumes
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 15, 2025

New findings from NASA's Magellan mission suggest that Venus may experience ongoing tectonic activity, driven by hot, buoyant plumes of molten material rising from its mantle. Unlike Earth, which has large, mobile tectonic plates, Venus has a single, continuous crust that deforms under internal forces. Researchers focused on structures known as coronae, vast circular features believed to form where mantle plumes push against the overlying lithosphere. These structures, ranging from dozens to hundreds of miles across, are typically surrounded by concentric fractures and provide a rare glimpse into the dynamic processes shaping Venus' surface.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, used decades-old Magellan data to identify possible signs of active tectonics at or below many of Venus' coronae. "Coronae are not found on Earth today; however, they may have existed when our planet was young and before plate tectonics had been established," said lead author Gael Cascioli, assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "By combining gravity and topography data, this research has provided a new and important insight into the possible subsurface processes currently shaping the surface of Venus."

The researchers developed sophisticated 3D geodynamic models to simulate various formation scenarios for plume-induced coronae. Of the 75 coronae studied, 52 show evidence of hot, buoyant mantle material beneath them, suggesting these plumes may be driving active tectonic processes. This includes subduction-like activity, where surface material sinks into the mantle, and lithospheric dripping, where denser, cooler material detaches and sinks under its own weight.

NASA's upcoming VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) mission, set to launch no earlier than 2031, is expected to provide high-resolution gravity data that could confirm these findings. "The VERITAS gravity maps of Venus will boost the resolution by at least a factor of two to four, depending on location - a level of detail that could revolutionize our understanding of Venus' geology and implications for early Earth," said study coauthor Suzanne Smrekar, principal investigator for VERITAS.

Research Report:A spectrum of tectonic processes at coronae on Venus revealed by gravity and topography