Nicole Sharp<p><strong>Venusian Gravity Currents</strong></p><p>Radar measurements of Venus‘s surface reveal the remains of many volcanic eruptions. One type of feature, known as a pancake dome, has a very flat top and steep sides; one dome, Narina Tholus, is over 140 kilometers wide. Since their discovery, scientists have been puzzling out how such domes could form. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008571" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">recent study suggests</a> that the Venusian surface’s elasticity plays a role.</p><p>According to current models, the pancake domes are gravity currents (like a cold draft under your door, an avalanche, or the <a href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/2019/01/today-marks-the-100th-anniversary-of-the-boston/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Boston Molasses Flood</a>), albeit ones so viscous that they may require hundreds of thousands of Earth-years to settle. Researchers found that their simulated pancake domes best matched measurements from Venus when the lava was about 2.5 times denser than water and flowed over a flexible crust.</p><p>We might have more data to support (or refute) the study’s conclusions soon, but only if NASA’s VERITAS mission to Venus is not cancelled. (Image credit: NASA; research credit: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008571" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">M. Borelli et al.</a>; via <a href="https://gizmodo.com/the-strange-secret-behind-venus-pancake-volcanoes-2000608733?__readwiseLocation=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Gizmodo</a>)</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/fluid-dynamics/" target="_blank">#fluidDynamics</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/gravity-currents/" target="_blank">#gravityCurrents</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/physics/" target="_blank">#physics</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/planetary-science/" target="_blank">#planetaryScience</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/science/" target="_blank">#science</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/venus/" target="_blank">#venus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/viscosity/" target="_blank">#viscosity</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/viscous-flow/" target="_blank">#viscousFlow</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/volcano/" target="_blank">#volcano</a></p>