Ancient, high-energy impacts could have fueled Venus volcanism (VIDEO)
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A Southwest Research Institute-led team has modeled the early impact history of Venus to explain how Earth’s sister planet has maintained a youthful surface despite lacking plate tectonics. The new model suggests that the planets’ distances from the Sun resulted in higher-energy, higher-velocity impacts to Venus. These powerful collisions created a superheated core that promoted extended, extensive volcanism and resurfaced the planet.
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Southwest Research Institute
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