Giant underground lava cave on Venus: A mystery that challenges science

Scientists have just confirmed the existence of giant lava tunnels under the surface of Venus – Earth's hot neighbor planet.

Venus, the hot and high-pressure planet, is gradually revealing its mysteries. (Source: NASA)

According to New Scientist , researchers discovered that “lava tubes” on Venus have more similarities with similar structures on the Moon than on Earth, even though this planet has a mass and gravity similar to Earth.

Normally, lava tubes tend to be larger when gravity is low, because the walls collapse less. Venus, however, breaks this rule. “Lava tubes on Earth are smaller, on Mars they are a little bigger, and on the Moon they are even bigger. But Venus has very, very large volumes,” researcher Barbara De Toffoli (University of Padova) said at the Europlanet Science Conference in Finland.

She suggests that there may be some special geological element on Venus that plays an important role in the formation of these structures.

Previously, astronomers had recorded many large craters scattered on the surface of Venus, suspected to be traces of lava tubes. However, there was no clear evidence to rule out other geological causes.

In the new study, De Toffoli’s team provided the first convincing evidence for the existence of lava tubes on Venus. The pits were found near large volcanoes and developed in an orientation consistent with the terrain’s slope, suggesting they formed from lava flows on a slanted surface.

Scientists confirm there are giant underground tunnels on Venus. (Source: Newscientist)

Modeling shows that these chambers are consistent with a process that occurs when the top layer of a lava flow cools, while the molten part below continues to flow, leaving behind a hollow tube.

Venus’s extremely hot and high-pressure environment could allow these tubes to grow to enormous sizes, despite the Moon’s stronger gravity. “The observed features, especially their large scale, suggest that Venus may host some of the most extensive underground chambers in the Solar System,” the team writes.

This discovery opens up opportunities to better understand the thermal and tectonic evolution of Venus, as well as the planet's past and present geological conditions.

The team is calling for a closer look at the European Space Agency’s Subsurface Radar (SRS) mission, scheduled to launch to Venus in late 2031, to find out why the planet is “so different”.

Mr. Quang

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