Specyficzne dla Wenus koliste twory na powierzchni planety zwane koronami mogą być odpowiedzialne za odprowadzanie ciepła z wnętrza planety:
The study looks at the mystery using observations the Magellan spacecraft made in the early 1990s of quasi-circular geological features on Venus called coronae. Making new measurements of coronae visible in the Magellan images, the researchers concluded that coronae tend to be located where the planet’s lithosphere is at its thinnest and most active.Just as a thin bedsheet releases more body heat than a thick comforter, a thin lithosphere allows more heat to escape from the planet’s interior via buoyant plumes of molten rock rising to the outer layer. Typically, where there’s enhanced heat flow, there’s increased volcanic activity below the surface. So coronae likely reveal locations where active geology is shaping Venus’ surface today.
The researchers focused on 65 previously unstudied coronae that are up to a few hundred miles across. To calculate the thickness of the lithosphere surrounding them, they measured the depth of the trenches and ridges around each corona. What they found is that ridges are spaced more closely together in areas where the lithosphere is more flexible, or elastic. By applying a computer model of how an elastic lithosphere bends, they determined that, on average, the lithosphere around each corona is about 7 miles (11 kilometers) thick – much thinner than previous studies suggest. These regions have an estimated heat flow that is greater than Earth’s average, suggesting that coronae are geologically active.
Quetzalpetlatl Corona widziana przez sondę Magellan w promieniach radarowych
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/study-finds-venus-squishy-outer-shell-may-be-resurfacing-the-planet
Wątek: Magellan - radarowa misja do Wenus (Przeczytany 1228 razy)