Venus has 'heavy metal mountains'

No skiing there.

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That is just way cool, thanks for the post. 8)

As a solid-state chemist, I do most of my work at extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, or atmosphere (as compared to surface-of-earth-human-compatible). I find the chemistry going on in such places as Venus and Io completely fascinating.

I wonder, given the sulfuric acid content of Venus's atmosphere, if this is just purely a sublimation reaction (lead solid -> lead vapor -> lead frost (solid) ). There is a type of crystal growth called chemical vapor deposition where the conversion to gas phase is assisted by reaction to a more volitile species. Could it be that the lead is forming some sort of volitile sulphate or sulfide species, that then decomposes back to the lead frost?

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That's really neat. The alternate realities in the solar system are remarkable - Ice volcanoes on Europa, lead frost on venus.

Sounds like the people that thought it was tellurium were lead astray! (runs for cover)

That is so cool!

As I've said before, there is so much more interesting stuff in the real solar system than in entire fictional galaxies.

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have we ruled out the possibility that the mountain was not used as a shooting range?

Lead frost... and I thought there was no rime or reason to it...

wait, lead and acid rain... sounds like a car battery!

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J Pax

Ice volcanoes on Europa? Don't you mean Triton? #-o

Nope. I mean ice volcanoes on Europa .

Not on Europa, but in Europa [-(

You're going to have to explain what you mean here. Volcanoes are on the surface of a planetary body. Magma wells up to the surface of the Earth. The article I linked to says specifically on Europa:

So I'm not clear what your objection is.

:-?

Venusian Tour Guide: "Over there is Motorhead Mountain, and if you look to the west you can see Mount Megadeth. Wayyyy of to the south you can just make out the summit of Iron Maiden Peak."

I am on a ROLL!!!! :roll:

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Don't forget Sulfur volcanoes on Io!

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And nitrogen geysers on Triton. I think.

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Is there any sulfuric acid near the surface? I know that the sulfuric acid clouds are 50-70 km up, and the acid rain evaporates long before it reaches the surface.

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Answer: Semantics. The volcanoes not on the surface and but are (postulated) to lie at the bottom of a salt ocean. No-one has ever seen them.

Could you provide a reference. There's no indication of that from the article I linked to. It specifically says onto the surface. Also you mentioned triton earlier. What's the connection there?

Venus Express is the agency's first mission to the cloud enshrouded planet. If everything goes well, Venus Express will lift off on board a Soyuz-Fregat rocket to travel through space for 153 days after launch this oct 25th.

Venus Express will make the first multispectral global examination of the atmosphere of Venus.


http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=35987

Wow, just wow. The solar system is stranger than I thought.

Besides the possiblity of it being the result of a chemical reaction, could it possibly be evidence of liquid metal "lakes" or the like on Venus? After all, the surface temperatures there are hot enough to melt lead....

- Maha "heavy metal rockin'" Vailo

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