Giovedì 8 giugno alle ore 15:00, il Prof. Justin Filiberto, Responsabile del Research Office della Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division presso il Johnson Space Center della NASA a Houston (USA), terrà il seminario dal titolo “Present Day Volcanism on Venus: Evidence from Alteration Experiments“.

Abstract

The crust of Venus is thought to be comprised of basaltic rocks with similar composition to terrestrial volcanics, but on Venus they are in contact with a hot caustic atmosphere that should alter them to produce weathering rinds. These weathering rinds should affect orbital measurements (both radar and spectroscopy) of the crust, such has been measured at Idunn Mons. However, the rate of alteration on Venus and specifically how alteration mineralogy affects orbital measurements are not well understood. With the upcoming decade of Venus exploration, laboratory measurements connecting alteration and spectroscopy are critically needed. Here, I will summarize what is known about the composition of Venus lava flows and the rate at which these rocks should alter on the Venus surface. I will then apply this work to Idunn Mons as a case study to show that it should be volcanically active, which may be detectable by the pcoming fleet of missions.