Venus’ tectonics may be actively reshaping its surface

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Venus’ tectonics may be actively reshaping its surface

In 1983, researchers discovered that the surface of Venus was speckled with strange, circular landforms. These rounded mountain belts, known as coronae, have no known Earthly counterparts, and they’ve remained enigmatic for decades. But hot plumes of rock upwelling from Venus’ mantle are shaping the mysterious landforms, a new analysis suggests. If true, that mean that Venus’ surface is tectonically active, and not merely a stagnant layer.