A heat pipe mechanism for volcanism and tectonics on Venus

Journal Article · Fri Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JB094iB03p02779· OSTI ID:5847666

Turcotte, D L ^[1]

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1. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (USA)

A heat pipe mechanism is proposed for the transport of heat through the lithosphere on Venus. This mechanism allows the crust and lithosphere on Venus to be greater than 150 km thick. A thick crust and thick lithosphere can explain the high observed topography and large associated gravity anomalies. For a 150-km-thick lithosphere the required volcanic flux on Venus is 200 km{sup 3}/yr; this is compared with a flux of 17 km{sup 3}/yr associated with the formation of the oceanic crust on Earth. A thick basaltic crust on Venus is expected to transform to eclogite at a depth of 60 to 80 km; the dense eclogite would contribute the lithospheric delamination that returns the crust to the interior of the planet completing the heat pipe cycle. Topography and the associated gravity anomalies can be explained by Airy compensation of the thick crust. The principal observation that is contrary to this hypothesis is the mean age of the surface that is inferred from crater statistics; the minimum mean age is about 130 Ma, and this implies an upper limit of 2 km{sup 3}/yr for the surface volcanic flux. If the heat pipe mechanism was applicable on Earth in the Archean, it would provide the thick lithosphere implied by isotopic data from diamonds.

• OSTI ID: 5847666
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA) Vol. 16:12; ISSN GPRLA; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AGE ESTIMATION
CAVITIES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CRATERS
DIMENSIONS
EARTH PLANET
ENERGY TRANSFER
GRAVITATION
HEAT TRANSFER
LIMITING VALUES
PLANETS
SURFACES
TECTONICS
THICKNESS
TOPOGRAPHY
VENUS PLANET
VOLCANISM