The First Lava Tube Discovered on Venus
In February 2026, researchers at the University of Trento confirmed the first lava tube on Venus — a massive underground conduit hidden beneath the Nyx Mons volcanic region. Reanalyzing NASA Magellan radar data from 1990-1992, they detected a surface skylight revealing a void at least 1 kilometer wide, 375 meters deep, with a roof 150 meters thick. Potentially extending 45 km, it dwarfs any lava tube on Earth. Venus's dense atmosphere creates thick insulating crusts as lava flows, enabling these planetary-scale pyroducts. The discovery came from archival data — hidden in plain sight for 35 years.
University of Trento — Nature Communications, February 2026
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