This is why Venus has pancake-like volcanoes on its surface
31 May 2025

A team of scientists from Georgia Institute of Technology, Universite de Lyon, and Arizona State University has proposed a plausible explanation for the formation of flat pancake-like volcanoes on Venus.

The researchers suggest that these unique geological features were created by an elastic lithosphere and dense lava flows.

Their findings were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

Unraveling the mystery of Venusian volcanic domes
Research

The study's authors, M E Borrelli, C Michaut, and J G O'Rourke, used data from NASA's Magellan mission in the 1990s to simulate the formation of a flat-topped dome on Venus.

They focused on Narina Tholus due to its high-resolution data.

The dome is about 55km wide and its formation was modeled using Magellan data and information from other known geological formations.

Simulation reveals conditions for Venusian dome formation
Model results

The researchers' simulation revealed that the only conditions leading to the shape of these domes were a somewhat bendy lithosphere and dense lava.

The elastic crust permitted the dome to form over a long period, matching with the rate of dense lava flow.

Gravity flattened the lava as it seeped, resulting in flat tops for these unique volcanoes.