Present-day volcanism on Venus as evidenced from weathering rates of olivine.
Sci Adv
; 6(1): eaax7445, 2020 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31922004
At least some of Venus' lava flows are thought to be <2.5 million years old based on visible to near-infrared (VNIR) emissivity measured by the Venus Express spacecraft. However, the exact ages of these flows are poorly constrained because the rate at which olivine alters at Venus surface conditions, and how that alteration affects VNIR spectra, remains unknown. We obtained VNIR reflectance spectra of natural olivine that was altered and oxidized in the laboratory. We show that olivine becomes coated, within days, with alteration products, primarily hematite (Fe2O3). With increasing alteration, the VNIR 1000-nm absorption, characteristic of olivine, also weakens within days. Our results indicate that lava flows lacking VNIR features due to hematite are no more than several years old. Therefore, Venus is volcanically active now.
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MEDLINE
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En
Revista:
Sci Adv
Año:
2020
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Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos