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This is an image of Venus.
Click on image for full size
NASA

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What is the cooling history of the Earth?

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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The Earliest History of Venus

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The Magellan mission to Venus confirmed that the surface of Venus is definitely volcanic. As shown in this picture, lava flows extend to hundreds of miles across the plains in the foreground. The surface...more

The History of Venus

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Does Venus Have a Surface in Motion?

Like Mars, there is no plate tectonics on the surface of Venus. The surface of Venus does not *seem* to have changed or moved in billions of years. Unlike the case of Mars, however, careful examination...more

Volcanic Formations of Venus

One reason scientists think that Venus has a thick crust comes from the shape of the volcanoes of Venus. (This is a different reason than in the case of Mars). In the long time in which the volcanoes exist,...more