Scientists Spot Huge Cave on Venus

"Astronomers say they've spotted a vast cave lurking beneath the surface of Venus - providing the strongest evidence yet that the planet is tunneled with lava tubes. The discovery of the cave, described in a new study published in Nature Communications, adds to our understanding of how Venus was shaped by its hellish preponderance of volcanos. "Our knowledge of Venus is still limited, and until now we have never had the opportunity to directly observe processes occurring beneath the surface of Earth's twin planet,""

"Scientists have long suspected that Venus harbored lava tubes, which are also known as pyroducts. Its surface is scattered with perhaps tens of thousands of volcanoes, and is scarred with volcanic plains and lava channels. Several studies have indicated signs of recent volcanic activity on the planet. Clues like these indicated that Venus's history was dominated by volcanism, but direct evidence of the lava tubes has, until now, eluded detection,"

A vast subsurface cavity on Venus provides the strongest evidence yet that the planet contains lava tubes formed by extensive volcanism. Venus's surface shows tens of thousands of volcanoes, volcanic plains, and lava channels, indicating a volcanically dominated history. Optical observation is blocked by a thick sulfuric cloud layer and extreme surface temperatures, so radar penetration is required. Reanalysis of Synthetic Aperture Radar data from NASA's Magellan mission (1990–1992) revealed radar signatures consistent with a volcanic cavity. The finding validates long-standing hypotheses about pyroduct formation and informs how Venus's weak gravity and dense atmosphere influence lava-tube development.

Read at Futurism