This is an image of Venus.
Click on image for full size
NASA
The Cooling of Venus
The following may be the history of Venus.
- Venus formed about 4 Billion Years ago.
- at the conclusion of forming it continued to be bombarded with leftover material. Many planets still bear the remains of this activity by showing many craters on the surface. Activity on the surface can act to change the craters.
- Venus warmed from inside, and separated into layers. Because Venus is close to the sun, the atmosphere formed differently than did the Earth's, as sugggested by the Goldilocks idea.
- After that, Venus started cooling down. The crust began to thicken, just like jello hardens when it is being made. The hardening crust prevented continental drift. This also prevented the recycling of the atmosphere.
- Despite the thick crust, surface activity, including volcanism, may continue to this day as Venus continues to cool.
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