Scientists have recently discovered that Venus, the cloud-covered second planet from the sun, have shown strong evidence of volcanic activity. According to the study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, Venus could be far more active than what researchers previously thought.  

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Earth's nearest neighbor, Venus, was known to have an active volcanic history. However, the recently gathered evidence is the best proof for ongoing eruptions. With the help of the European Space Agency's Venus Express probe, analyzed data revealed four hotspots in a rift region of the planet's northern hemisphere have suggested an active lava flow through its dramatically increasing and decreasing temperatures.

Since ESA's Venus Express mission set foot at the second largest terrestrial planet in 2006, BBC News reported that scientists have clued Venus might still be volcanically active. Based on the findings from the compiled infrared measurements, the planet's surface is shrouded by a thick and swirling atmosphere with a distinct dark region that suggest 2.5 million-year-old lava deposits, which were observed towards the planet's south pole.

Additionally, researchers reported that a spike in the sulfur dioxide content of Venus' atmosphere was very evocative of a volcanic activity blast. However, the findings could have also been because of the shifting winds.

After the previously documented pieces of evidence were analyzed in detail, photos in near-infrared wavelengths taken by Venus Express' Venus Monitoring Camera revealed indicative and transient hotspots clustered in a vast rift region known as Ganiki Chasma. As per Business Standard, the rift zones are formed through widening of the crust by internal forces and hot magma upsurges toward the surface.

"This latest evidence very much leads us to believe that we've finally found proof that the surface is tectonically active and changing today," Oxford University's atmospheric physicist and Venus Express' science operations coordinator Dr. Colin Wilson stated.

Scientists have also discovered bright spots that suggest temperature spikes caused by flowing lava, which is indicative that Venus is still active. However, Los Angeles Times revealed that these spots don't conceal the planet, instead they only pop up along the rift lines across its surface.

Brown University geologist and research co-author James W. Head said the rift zones with these hot spots are quite reminiscent of the East African rift zone on Earth.

"We were able to show strong evidence that Venus is volcanically, and thus internally, active today," Head said.

Meanwhile, the dynamics on Venus are evidently very different than the ones on Earth today. However, Venus' current activity could hint at what Earth looked like before its tectonic plates were formed.

Tagsvenus, volcanoes, outer space, planet, Universe, Cosmos, Science, Study, Venus Express