Rate of volcanism on Venus
The maintenance of the global H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ clouds on Venus requires volcanism to replenish the atmospheric SO/sub 2/ which is continually being removed from the atmosphere by reaction with calcium minerals on the surface of Venus. The first laboratory measurements of the rate of one such reaction, between SO/sub 2/ and calcite (CaCO/sub 3/) to form anhydrite (CaSO/sub 4/), are reported. If the rate of this reaction is representative of the SO/sub 2/ reaction rate at the Venus surface, then we estimate that all SO/sub 2/ in the Venus atmosphere (and thus the H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ clouds) will be removed in 1.9 million years unless the lost SO/sub 2/ is replenished by volcanism. The required rate of volcanism ranges from about 0.4 to about 11 cu km of magma erupted per year, depending on the assumed sulfur content of the erupted material. If this material has the same composition as the Venus surface at the Venera 13, 14 and Vega 2 landing sites, then the required rate of volcanism is about 1 cu km per year. This independent geochemically estimated rate can be used to determine if either (or neither) of the two discordant (2 cu km/year vs. 200 to 300 cu km/year) geophysically estimated rates is correct. The geochemically estimated rate also suggests that Venus is less volcanically active than the Earth.
- Research Organization:
- Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7088445
- Report Number(s):
- N-88-26281; NASA-CR-183039; NAS-1.26:183039
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
VENUS PLANET
SULFUR DIOXIDE
VOLCANISM
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CALCITE
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
SULFATES
SULFURIC ACID
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ATMOSPHERES
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE MINERALS
CARBONATES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANETS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena