Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How do shield volcanoes on Venus form?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Venus
Venus photographed in ultraviolet light by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (Pioneer 12) spacecraft, February 26, 1979. Although Venus's cloud cover is nearly featureless in visible light, ultraviolet imaging reveals distinctive structure and pattern, including global-scale V-shaped bands that open toward the west (left). Added color in the image emulates Venus's yellow-white appearance to the eye.
Shield volcanoes on Venus form when a subsurface source of lava remains fixed and active at a single location for an extended period. This sustained activity allows volcanic materials to accumulate in large quantities directly above the source.1
These structures are built from numerous individual, long, thin lava flowsâlikely composed of basaltâthat pile up in a radial pattern. While they share similarities with volcanoes found on Earth and Mars, they are distributed widely across the Venusian surface, with more than 100 identified. In some cases, if the subsurface lava source is drained, the ground above may collapse to form a caldera at the summit.1