This is an image of Venus.
Click on image for full size
NASA/JPL
The Earliest History of Venus
The terrestrial planets formed in two ways, either:
- very warm, separated into layers, with lots of water on the surface, with volcanic activity, as well as continental drift.
- cold and rocky, needing to be warmed from the inside before activity is seen on the surface. The planet never separates into layers, and the planet never forms a core.
With Venus, the first case is probably the most likely.
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