Venus is sometimes called Earth\u2019s sister planet because of their shared physical, geological, and atmospheric features. Scientists have discovered something new about Venus\u2019 geology that\u2019s reminding us of the similarities between the two planets. We have to look deep inside both planets to see what the researchers found.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n There are a few reasons why the pair of planets are sometimes called twins. They have several characteristics in common:<\/p>\n New research published in Nature Geoscience focuses on the last item in that list. Its title is \u201cIshtar Terra highlands on Venus raised by craton-like formation mechanisms.\u201d The lead author is Fabio Capitanio, an Associate Professor from the Monash University School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment. <\/p>\n Ishtar Terra is one of three large highland regions on Venus. Its topography includes mountains, plains, and plateaus. The Maxwell Montes mountain chain is in Ishtar Terra, and it\u2019s about 11 km (6.8 mi) high, compared to Mt. Everest, which is 8.8 kilometres (5.5 mi). <\/p>\n Ishtar Terra has highly complex terrain and appears to be heavily deformed. These are indications that Venus underwent powerful geological activity in its past. <\/p>\n Ishtar Terra also contains Lakshmi Planum, a two million square kilometre plateau about four km high and surrounded by extremely deformed terrain. It\u2019s made of smooth lava flows and features two large shield volcanoes. Colette Patera is about 130 km in diameter, and Sacajawea Patera is about 200 km across and 1-2 km deep. Though Venus is tectonically inactive now, scientists think that ancient tectonic activity is responsible for the region\u2019s wild topography. <\/p>\n The new research in Nature Geoscience zeroes in on a specific part of geology called cratons. Cratons are the ancient geological cores of Earth\u2019s continents. They\u2019re stable parts of Earth\u2019s lithosphere that are usually found in the center of the planet\u2019s continental plates. Cratons have survived Earth\u2019s extensive history of continental rifting and merging. They\u2019re typically composed of extremely durable basement rock and have deep roots that can extend several hundred kilometres into the planet\u2019s mantle. <\/p>\n Some cratons date from the Precambrian era, more than 2.5 billion years ago. Others may be even older and could date back to the Earth\u2019s early days during the Hadean and Archaean Eons. <\/p>\n In this new work, Capitanio and his co-researchers used data from NASA\u2019s Magellan spacecraft and high-performance computer simulations to investigate the formation of Ishtar Terra more deeply. They found that Ishtar Terra may have formed the same way that Earth\u2019s cratons may have formed. <\/p>\n \u201cThe structures emerging in this model provide topography, gravity and crustal thicknesses remarkably comparable to the plateaus of Venus.\u201d<\/p>\n From \u201cIshtar Terra highlands on Venus raised by craton-like formation mechanisms.\u201d<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n On Earth, plateaus and belts of mountains like Ishtar Terra would clearly result from colliding continental plates. Ishtar Terra is similar to the Tibetan Plateau, and continental collision is the primary driver behind its formation. Something else must be behind Ishtar Terra and Venus\u2019s other terrae because the planet lacks plate tectonics. But Ishtar Terra shares something particular with Earth. It has a thick crustal floor similar to Earth\u2019s cratons. <\/p>\n This suggests that the planets have or had processes in common. Ishtar Terra and Venus\u2019 other terrae may have risen from the planet\u2019s hot interior. While there are several competing explanations for the formation of Earth\u2019s cratons, one is the molten plume model. It states that rising plumes of molten rock came from deep within Earth\u2019s mantle and built up thick layers with the cratons on top. <\/p>\n \n\n
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