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Eclipse Coverage article4 days ago NASA's Hubble Pinpoints Roaming Massive Black Hole 7 min read NASA's Hubble Pinpoints Roaming Massive Black Hole article4 days ago What's Up: May 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA 6 min read What's Up: May 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA article2 weeks ago Back --------------------------------------------------------------------- Missions * Search All NASA Missions * A to Z List of Missions * Upcoming Launches and Landings * Spaceships and Rockets * Communicating with Missions * Artemis * James Webb Space Telescope * Hubble Space Telescope * International Space Station * OSIRIS-REx Humans in Space * Why Go to Space * Astronauts * Commercial Space * Destinations * Spaceships and Rockets * Living in Space Earth * Explore Earth Science * Climate Change * Earth, Our Planet * Earth Science in Action * Earth Multimedia * Earth Data * Earth Science Researchers The Solar System * The Sun * Mercury * Venus * Earth * The Moon * Mars * Jupiter * Saturn * Uranus * 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Venus appears orange, yellow, and brown in this simulated view. This global view of the surface of Venus is centered at 180 degrees east longitude. Magellan synthetic aperture radar mosaics from the first cycle of Magellan mapping are mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Data gaps are filled with Pioneer Venus Orbiter data, or a constant mid-range value. Simulated color is used to enhance small-scale structure. The simulated hues are based on color images recorded by the Soviet Venera 13 and 14 spacecraft. NASA/JPL-Caltech New details about the crust on Venus include some surprises about the geology of Earth's hotter twin, according to new NASA-funded research that describes movements of the planet's crust. Scientists expected the outermost layer of Venus' crust would grow thicker and thicker over time given its apparent lack of forces that would drive the crust back into the planet's interior. But the paper, published in Nature Communications, proposes a crust metamorphism process based on rock density and melting cycles. Earth's rocky crust is made up of massive plates that slowly move, forming folds and faults in a process known as plate tectonics. For example, when two plates collide, the lighter plate slides on top of the denser one, forcing it downward into the layer beneath it, the mantle. This process, known as subduction, helps control the thickness of Earth's crust. The rocks making up the bottom plate experience changes caused by increasing temperature and pressure as it sinks deeper into the interior of the planet. Those changes are known as metamorphism, which is one cause of volcanic activity. In contrast, Venus has a crust that is all one piece, with no evidence for subduction caused by plate tectonics like on Earth, explained Justin Filiberto, deputy chief of NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and a co-author on the paper. The paper used modeling to determine that its crust is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) thick on average and at most 40 miles (65 kilometers) thick. "That is surprisingly thin, given conditions on the planet," said Filiberto. "It turns out that, according to our models, as the crust grows thicker, the bottom of it becomes so dense that it either breaks off and becomes part of the mantle or gets hot enough to melt." So, while Venus has no moving plates, its crust does experience metamorphism. This finding is an important step toward understanding geological processes and evolution of the planet. "This breaking off or melting can put water and elements back into the planet's interior and help drive volcanic activity," added Filiberto. "This gives us a new model for how material returns to the interior of the planet and another way to make lava and spur volcanic eruptions. It resets the playing field for how the geology, crust, and atmosphere on Venus work together." The next step, he added, is to gather direct data about Venus' crust to test and refine these models. Several upcoming missions, including NASA's DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) and VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) and, in partnership with ESA (European Space Agency), Envision, aim to study the planet's surface and atmosphere in greater detail. These efforts could help confirm whether processes like metamorphism and recycling are actively shaping the Venusian crust today--and reveal how such activity may be tied to volcanic and atmospheric evolution. "We don't actually know how much volcanic activity is on Venus," Filiberto said. "We assume there is a lot, and research says there should be, but we'd need more data to know for sure." Melissa Gaskill NASA Johnson Space Center Media Contacts: Karen Fox / Molly Wasser Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov Victoria Segovia NASA's Johnson Space Center 281-483-5111 victoria.segovia@nasa.gov Read More About Venus Share * * * * Details Last Updated May 09, 2025 Related Terms * Astromaterials * Venus Explore More [1-pia26554] 3 min read NASA's Curiosity Rover May Have Solved Mars' Missing Carbonate Mystery New findings from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover could provide an answer to the mystery of... 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Article 1 month ago [jsc2024e077248] 5 min read How NASA is Using Virtual Reality to Prepare for Science on Moon Article 2 months ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Venus [688-venus-1200-jpg] Astromaterials [jsc2021e062383] Planetary Science [saturn2-jpg] Solar System [topic-card] NASA Logo National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. * About NASA's Mission Join Us * Home * News & Events * Multimedia * NASA+ * Missions * Humans in Space * Earth * The Solar System * The Universe * Science * Aeronautics * Technology * Learning Resources * About NASA * NASA en Espanol Follow NASA * * * * * More NASA Social Accounts * NASA Newsletters * Sitemap * For Media * Privacy Policy * FOIA * No FEAR Act * Office of the IG * Budget & Annual Reports * Agency Financial Reports * Contact NASA * Accessibility * Page Last Updated: May 09, 2025 * Page Editor: Rachel Barry * Responsible NASA Official for Science: Dana Bolles