Which Planet Has The Most Volcanoes?

Which Planet Has The Most Volcanoes
Source: NASA/JPL

So you thought only Earth has volcanos? Well, no, even the other planets have volcanos that blast stuff on the surface. And believe us, those volcanoes make our earth ones look like dwarves. By now several questions must have cropped in your mind, such as, how many planets have volcanoes? Which planet has the most volcanoes? Which planet has the least volcanoes? In this article, we’ll answer your question to which planet has the most volcanoes? And in the process, we’ll share some fun facts about volcanos on other planets as well. But before that, let’s learn a bit about volcanoes. So stay tuned!

Volcanoes On Other Planets:

Volcanoes have not just shaped earth by pumping molten rock onto the surface, but other planets as well. Over time, volcanoes have changed the atmosphere by pumping greenhouse gases into the air, thereby ensuring that the planet doesn’t freeze. Just like volcanoes on earth, even several of outer space volcanoes are extinct. They haven’t erupted for millions of year and will probably never. On the other hand, some are as active as volcanoes on our homeland.

Which Planet Has The Most Volcanoes:

Venus is pretty similar to earth in several ways. It has a similar bulk composition and is of nearly the same size. And out of all the planets, Venus is closest to EarthUs Orbit. Just like earth, even Venus has a thick atmosphere, clouds and is of a fairly young age, around 500 million years. And just like earth, the entire surface of Venus is strewn with volcanoes of all shapes and sizes and is believed to have experienced volcanic processes not even known to the Earth. Yes, Venus is the planet with most volcanoes.

Venus has a 90% basalt surface, which indicates that volcanism played a vital role in shaping its surface. The scientists, after examining the density of impact craters on the surface concluded that the planet experienced a global resurfacing around 500 million years ago, primarily because of the high number of volcanoes.

How Many Volcanoes Are There On The Planet Venus?

Volcanoes On Venus
Source: NASA/JPL

It’s reported that there are over 1600 major volcanoes on Venus and the number of minor volcanoes has still not been tallied. It’s estimated that the number of minor volcanoes could be somewhere between 100,000 to 1,000,000.

Active Volcanoes On Venus:

It’s yet to be found whether Venus has active volcanoes or not, but some evidence suggests that there are still several active volcanoes. In 1978, the northern hemisphere of Venus lit up temporarily, which made the astronomers think of a large volcanic eruption. Even during its 1989-1994 mission, the Magellan found a high concentration of volcanic gases present in Venus’ atmosphere. This made them believe that volcanic activity occurred sometime back.

What Types Of Volcanoes Are Found On Venus?

The large volcanoes on the planet Venus are said to be quite similar to Earth’s geology, which includes cone volcanoes with steep sides and shield volcanoes, which are formed due to the gradual oozing of lava. Apart from these, there are some unusually structured volcanoes, such as pancake volcanoes, with flattened circles.

Tallest Volcano On Venus:

Maat Mons, rising up to 8km above the surface, is the tallest volcano on Venus. This means it’s almost as high as Mount Everest on the earth. It’s still not clear whether the volcano is still active or not.

Eruptive Style Of The Volcanoes On Venus:

The volcanoes on Venus do not explode and form ashes or even throw lava. This could be due to a combination of several effects, such as high air pressure because the lava of Venus volcanoes needs a high gas content to erupt explosively. Secondly, gas-driven lava explosions require water, which isn’t readily available on Venus. Thirdly, the lack of subduction zones also reduces the possibility of volcanic eruptions on Venus.

We hope you enjoy reading about the planet with the most volcanoes. Subscribe to our mailing list for more such articles and information.

 

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