{"id":639184,"date":"2026-08-15T20:32:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T20:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/639184\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T20:32:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T20:32:26","slug":"were-these-polygonal-cracks-on-venus-once-on-a-seafloor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/639184\/","title":{"rendered":"Were these polygonal cracks on Venus once on a seafloor?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Venus-cracks-ancient-seafloor.jpg\" alt=\"Cracks on Venus: View of terrain from above, with yellowish and purplish regions and long, winding cracks.\" width=\"800\" height=\"569\" class=\"size-full wp-image-555175\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2026\/surface-features-could-1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">View larger<\/a>. | Here\u2019s a region of cracks on Venus, 2nd world outward from our sun. They might have formed on an ancient seafloor, scientists say. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0012821X2600436X?via%3Dihub\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2026)<\/a> (CC BY 4.0).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Venus is extremely hot and dry on its surface.<\/strong> But scientists think it once had much more water, perhaps even oceans.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Large networks of polygonal cracks cover Venus\u2019 surface in low-lying areas.<\/strong> A new study says they might have formed in seafloor mud as the water evaporated.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It\u2019s still a hypothesis right now,<\/strong> but it would support other studies postulating ancient oceans on Venus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.earthsky.org\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>You deserve a daily dose of good news.<\/strong> For the latest in science and the night sky, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Polygonal cracks on Venus: How did they form?<\/p>\n<p>Much of Venus\u2019 surface is covered in <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/cracked-surface-of-venus-behaves-like-sea-ice\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">long cracks<\/a>. And scientists are still debating how they formed. One possible explanation has been volcanic rock that cooled and contracted to form the cracks. But there\u2019s another \u2013 and more exciting \u2013 possibility. Some of the cracks might have formed in seafloor mud. That\u2019s what a team of researchers from University of London and Imperial College in the U.K. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0012821X2600436X?via%3Dihub\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">say<\/a> in a new paper titled The Lost Oceans of Venus. <\/p>\n<p>These vast, polygonal cracks are found in low-lying regions of Venus. And they do look very similar to ones in seafloor mud on Earth. Thick layers of waterlogged clay get buried, compacted and squeezed dry over time. Did the same thing happen on Venus?<\/p>\n<p>The intriguing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elsevier.com\/reviewer\/what-is-peer-review\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">peer-reviewed<\/a> findings were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0012821X2600436X?via%3Dihub\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> in Earth and Planetary Science Letters on July 29, 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Venus-cracks-ancient-seafloor-6-types.jpg\" alt=\"6 rectangles showing images of various types of cracks on a planet's surface.\" width=\"800\" height=\"760\" class=\"size-full wp-image-555180\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2026\/surface-features-could.jpg\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">View larger<\/a>. | Here are the 6 types of cracks identified by the researchers. These cracks are found in low-lying areas on Venus. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-08-venus-polygonal-plains-watery.html\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2026)<\/a> (CC BY 4.0).<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/oceans-salts-polygonal-cracks-process-Ghail-et-al-July-29-2026.jpg\" alt=\"3 squares in a chart showing oceans in the 1st one, salts in the 2nd one and cracks in the 3rd one.\" width=\"800\" height=\"294\" class=\"size-full wp-image-555249\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ars.els-cdn.com\/content\/image\/1-s2.0-S0012821X2600436X-ga1_lrg.jpg\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">View larger<\/a>. | This diagram depicts the process of how the Venus cracks might have formed. Oceans evaporated, leaving salts behind. Mud on the former seabed dried up, creating the polygonal cracks. Image via Ghail et al.\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0012821X2600436X?via%3Dihub\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Earth and Planetary Science Letters<\/a>.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Venus-Magellan-Pioneer-Venus-Orbiter-June-2-2021.jpeg\" alt=\"Bright, orange and yellow mottled planet with varied surface texture, on black background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-full wp-image-455487\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/imagesvenus20191211venus20191211-16.jpeg\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">View larger<\/a>. | This radar image of Venus\u2019 surface, showing this cloud-covered world without its cloud cover, is a composite of data from NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/magellan\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Magellan<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/pioneer-venus-1\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Pioneer Venus Orbiter<\/a> spacecraft. So we see Venus\u2019 formerly hidden surface is tortured, with many cracks, valleys and volcanoes. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">NASA<\/a>\/ JPL-Caltech.<br \/>\n6 types of cracks<\/p>\n<p>Venus orbits the sun one step inward from Earth. Its cloud-covered surface has created a runaway greenhouse effect on the planet, giving it surface temperatures averaging roughly 464\u00b0C (867\u00b0F). So it\u2019s hot enough on the surface of Venus to melt lead! And as a result we tend to think about Venus as a blazing hot world on its surface, which is also known to have features resembling volcanoes. But oceans on Venus? Could have happened?<\/p>\n<p>The cracks might be evidence that it\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n<p>There are various types of cracks found on the surface of this neighboring world. One of them is composed of polygon shapes, in low-lying plains. Each polygon is about 1 to 2 kilometers (0.6 to 1.2 miles) across. The researchers then further divided these polygons into six distinct types. And, they say, the patterns overall are much more similar to cracks in dried-out seabeds than to cracks formed by volcanoes.<\/p>\n<p>Similar cracks on Earth can be found in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Mediterranean-Sea\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Mediterranean Sea<\/a>. A long time ago, almost 6 million years, it almost completely dried up. As the water gradually evaporated, it left behind thick salt deposits and cracks, like what we see on Venus.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, there are also long, winding channels on Venus called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetary.org\/space-images\/canali-on-venus\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">canali<\/a> by scientists. For some years, scientists have thought that flowing lava formed them. But they\u2019re also similar to channels carved on seafloors.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, wrinkled ridges in the lowlands might be above salt deposits, similar to on Earth.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rings-on-Venus-001-e1785466067439.jpg\" alt=\"Two black-and-white images of Venus set side by side. One reveals rings in the atmosphere.\" width=\"800\" height=\"391\" class=\"size-full wp-image-553963\"\/>Another recent study <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/venus-rings-found-high-above-the-planets-thick-clouds\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">found concentric rings<\/a> in Venus\u2019 atmosphere! On the left, an unpolarized view of the cloud tops of Venus shows a smooth, regular brightness. On the right, a view in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/science\/what-is-polarised-light\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">polarized light<\/a> reveals a set of concentric rings \u2013 really, atmospheric ripples \u2013 in the dense, high atmosphere. Image via Gourav Mahapatra\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/content.cld.iop.org\/journals\/2632-3338\/7\/7\/169\/revision1\/psjae7e6ff1_hr.jpg\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">The Planetary Science Journal.<\/a><br \/>\nThe debate continues<\/p>\n<p>These researchers have presented an interesting, even compelling, scenario. But it\u2019s not proof yet of an ancient ocean on Venus. That will require more study to confirm, or not.<\/p>\n<p>And some other studies have been <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/oceans-on-venus-water-volcanism\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">doubtful<\/a> about long-lost Venusian oceans.<\/p>\n<p>So the debate will continue, until definitive evidence is found of ancient oceans on Venus. That might require future missions that will study the surface and atmosphere in unprecedented detail.<\/p>\n<p>In another recent study, researchers <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/venus-rings-found-high-above-the-planets-thick-clouds\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">discovered concentric rings<\/a> in Venus\u2019 atmosphere, above its thick layers of clouds. The rings are actually waves or ripples, but very ring-like!<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: Sprawling, huge cracks on Venus have long puzzled scientists. A new study suggests the polygon shapes formed from drying mud on an ancient seafloor.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0012821X2600436X?via%3Dihub\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Source: The lost oceans of Venus<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-08-venus-polygonal-plains-watery.html\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Via Phys.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/venus-rings-found-high-above-the-planets-thick-clouds\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Read more: Venus rings found high above the planet\u2019s thick clouds<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/water-in-venus-clouds-pioneer-reanalysis\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Read more: New study says water in Venus\u2019 clouds surprisingly abundant<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Paul Scott Anderson<br \/>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/author\/paul-scott-anderson\/\" class=\"post-author-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">View Articles<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    About the Author:<\/p>\n<p>Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan\u2019s Cosmos. He studied English, writing, art and computer\/publication design in high school and college. He later started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was later renamed Planetaria. He also later started the blog Fermi Paradoxica, about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nWhile interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science and SETI. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis with Universe Today. He has also written for SpaceFlight Insider and AmericaSpace and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly. He also did some supplementary writing for the iOS app Exoplanet.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nHe has been writing for EarthSky since 2018, and also assists with proofing and social media.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"View larger. | Here\u2019s a region of cracks on Venus, 2nd world outward from our sun. They might&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[77],"tags":[270414,18,19,17,270415,270416,133,246390,451],"class_list":["post-639184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-cracks-on-venus","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mud","tag-polygons","tag-science","tag-seafloor","tag-space"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117101433030165397","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}