AK&M 13 January 2025 13:16
Scientists of the Faculty of Geology and Geography Tomsk State University was the first in the world to create a geological map of the Phoebe region of the planet Venus with a detailed description of volcanoes and magmatic centers. Based on the mapping of the territory on a scale of 1:500,000, TSU geologists have identified potential landing sites for future spacecraft missions to Venus. Now, space industry specialists will receive the most accurate data on the structural features of the planet’s surface for further research. The results of the study are published in the scientific journal Planetary and Space Science (Q2).
Ekaterina Antropova, a researcher at the TSU Geochronology and Geodynamics Laboratory, Professor at the Department of Petrography at TSU and Carleton University, participated in the study and creation of the first detailed geological map of the Phoebe region. Richard Ernst, graduate of GGF Carlos Braga, Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Geochronology and Geodynamics of GGF Hafida El Bilali, former employee of the Geological Survey Ken Buchan of Canada, renowned planetary scientist and lead researcher at Brown University Jim Head (USA) and Arina Shimolina, a research engineer at the Laboratory of Geochronology and Geodynamics at the GGF. All of them are members of the international group for the study of geography, climate, volcanic processes and mapping of Venus. The group unites scientists from Canada, Morocco, Russia, India and other countries.
TSU scientists have conducted a geological mapping of the volcanic-magmatic structures of the Phoebe region, part of the Beta Atlas–Themis triangle (BAF) on Venus, which is characterized by a high density of volcanic structures and magmatic centers. It is one of the most useful and promising for conducting space research.
GGF scientists were the first in the world to create a detailed geological map of this area with a detailed description of morphostructures. Previously, most of Venus was mapped on a smaller exploration scale – 1:10,000,000 and 1:5,000,000.
Thus, maps on a scale of 1:500,000 with a total length of about 1,200 km will make it possible to more accurately characterize the geological structures observed on the surface of Venus and find favorable places for landing and sampling soil as part of potential space missions to Venus. For example, one of these is sending the Russian Venera–D orbiter and the lander to study the composition of the material of the surface structures of the planet.
In a new article, TSU staff explain in detail the structure and history of the geological development of a large volcanic and magmatic center located in the northwestern part of the Phoebe region on Venus. According to the author of the article, Ekaterina Antropova, a young scientist at the GGF, Venus and Earth are very similar planets, but the mechanisms of internal heat loss differ markedly.
“Unlike Earth, there is currently no plate–tectonic regime on Venus, and all manifestations of volcanic-magmatic activity are characterized by intraplate conditions,” explains Ekaterina Antropova. – Mantle diapirs (domed or linearly elongated elevation of the roof of the planet’s mantle – approx.They play a key role in the transformation of the surface of Venus. They form in the deep layers of the mantle and contribute to the formation of a wide range of geological structures – shield volcanoes, corona, and others – at different stages of geological history. Mapping and detailed analysis of these structures is the basis for understanding the development of both a particular region and the planet as a whole.
Let’s add that part of the dissertation research is related to the study of the Phoebe region By Ekaterina Antropova. Earlier, she and other employees of the TSU Laboratory of Geochronology and Geodynamics, during the geological mapping of the Phoebe region, discovered a chain of 12 spots on the surface with a length of about 3,000 kilometers. These spots are the results of the interaction of the dense atmosphere of Venus and bolides ranging in size from several hundred meters to several kilometers.
The study was conducted within the framework of the project “Evolution of large igneous provinces of the Earth as a factor in global carbon dioxide, toxic and greenhouse gas emissions in geological history” with the support of the federal program for strategic academic leadership “Priority 2030”.
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