Venus may not be a dead planet: its rift valleys could still be moving

Simulations conducted by researchers at ETH Zurich suggest a strong likelihood that Venus's rift valleys are still geologically active. The findings challenge the common assumption that these structures are mere relics of a bygone era.

Venus's interior dynamics are difficult to observe directly because of the planet's thick atmosphere and high surface temperature. Numerical models therefore play a decisive role in understanding how its surface features formed.

Active rifting would mean the planet's internal heat still drives processes that shape the surface. That offers an important clue to why Venus followed such a different path from Earth.

MHA Analysis

Treating Venus as geologically dead underpinned the question of why a planet almost identical to Earth in size and composition followed such a different path. Rift valleys that are still active unsettle that premise and imply internal heat continues to shape the surface. Because the thick atmosphere and surface temperature make direct observation impossible, the argument will run on numerical models for some time yet — which is precisely why the scientific priority of new Venus missions is rising.