A team of American researchers from Brown University has presented evidence suggesting that plate tectonics may have occurred on Venus long ago. This implies that the second planet from the Sun once possessed environments capable of supporting life. The findings appear in Nature Astronomy, a respected scientific journal.
Scientists studied atmospheric data and ran advanced computer simulations. The simulations indicate that the present composition of Venus atmosphere and the surface pressure would be difficult to explain without the historical movement of planetary plates.
One of the researchers notes that two planets within the same solar system could have operated under a plate tectonic regime at once, a regime that helps shape conditions favorable to life as we know it on Earth. This perspective echoes the way plate tectonics has influenced planetary evolution on our world.
On Earth, plate tectonics interacts with climate dynamics to stabilize surface temperatures and sustain life. By modeling Venus, scientists found that its current atmospheric makeup could not be fully reproduced without considering ancient plate activity. Yet the idea that Venus may have hosted microbial life during its earlier, more Earthlike phase remains plausible given this tectonic framework.
The researchers suggest that future data from NASA and European space missions could settle lingering questions. In particular, the planned DAVINCI mission and other Venus studies aim to probe the planet’s atmospheric history and the fate of its tectonic activity as the atmosphere evolves toward its contemporary state.
Experts emphasize that Venus has shown dramatic changes over geological time, with episodes that could be linked to shifts in internal dynamics and surface conditions. These insights help scientists refine models of planetary development and broaden the search for life in our solar system.