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Source: https://www.sci.news/space/venus-crust-convection-13790.html Scientists have recently proposed a new and unexpected phenomenon: convection within the crust of Venus. This idea suggests that the movement of heated and cooled material in Venus' crust could be a key mechanism behind its numerous volcanoes and other surface features. Unlike Earth, where convection driving plate tectonics occurs deep in the mantle, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, Professor Slava Solomatov and Dr. Chhavi Jain, believe Venus' thicker and hotter crust (potentially 30-90 km) might support its own form of convection. Their calculations, based on new fluid dynamic theories, indicate that this crustal convection is possible and perhaps even likely, offering a fresh perspective on the planet's geological evolution. This potential for convection in Venus' crust could explain how heat from the planet's interior is transferred to the surface, addressing a long-standing scientific question. Furthermore, it could influence the type and distribution of volcanoes on Venus. Future missions to Venus could provide crucial data on crustal density and temperature to test this theory, as areas of convection would exhibit detectable differences in these properties through high-resolution gravity measurements. Interestingly, the article also notes that Pluto shows surface evidence of convection driving tectonics in its nitrogen ice layer, making it potentially the only other solar system body besides Earth with clearly visible surface convection. The findings regarding Venus' crustal convection have been published in the journal Physics of Earth and Planetary Interiors. P. Geo. Ricardo A Valls, M. Sc. and Geo Gadfly Valls Geoconsultant ORCID ID- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5421-0914 Scopus Author ID: 7003369619/35335510700 ResearcherID: S-6604-2018 If you like this content, please "buy me a coffee" https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goldendroplets