Volcanism on Venus

As Earth's "sister planet" in many respects, Venus is a planet of intense interest to physical volcanologists for at least two key reasons: [1] because its surface hosts an amazing abundance of familiar and not-so-familiar looking volcanic features to study, most of which are exceptionally well preserved, and [2] because the two planets are similar in some ways (e.g., gravity, expected bulk composition) yet dissimilar in others (e.g., surface pressure and temperature), making Venus an excellent laboratory for testing and refining our ideas about the factors which control volcanic processes and the landforms which result.

My research has focused principally upon understanding the collection and movement of magma beneath the surface. This requires analysis and interpretation of volcanic features exposed at the surface (which can yield insight into the subsurface plumbing and eruption sequences which created them), global analysis of specific types of volcanic features in which I have a strong interest (e.g., radial dike swarms), examination of analog features in field areas on Earth, and numerical modeling of specific components of both subsurface magma plumbing systems and lava flows.

Cheers!

Eric B. Grosfils