Venus’ extreme surface conditions (460°C and 92 bar) and atmosphere of reactive gases, such as SO2, HF, and CO, actively alter the surface minerals. These surface processes will be probed by the upcoming Venus missions VERITAS, DAVINCI, and EnVision. Constraining the surface mineralogy via laboratory experiments is vital for interpreting mission data and for ascertaining Venus’ geologic and climatic evolution.
As a postdoctoral fellow at NASA GRC, I investigated the reaction rates between calcium-bearing minerals hypothesized to be on Venus and SO2 using a high-temperature tube furnace (TGA). These experiments revealed that secondary mineral coatings vary with host mineral and exposure length, which can assist in relative age dating of surface minerals. This work was published in JGR Planets in 2025.
I also investigated the stability of hydrous minerals under simulated Venus conditions using the Glenn Extreme Environment Rig (GEER) simulation chamber to ascertain if Venus once hosted liquid water on its surface. Our results show that water-bearing minerals dehydrate; however, they can react with atmospheric HF to form fluorine-bearing minerals. The fluorine-bearing minerals are more stable on Venus’ surface due to their higher thermal stability. Our results indicate that the identification of fluorine-bearing minerals on Venus could be potential evidence of a water-rich past.
In graduate school, I studied the formation and stability of metal sulfides (e.g., (Fe7S8), (Bi2S3), etc.) to investigate the anomalous radar reflective signal seen on some Venusian highlands. Mineral candidates were inserted into a Venus simulation chamber to test their stability and whether they can explain the source of the signal. My results support the possibility of several different minerals as the source, including tetradymite (Bi2Te2S) and pyrrhotite (Fe7S8). I have two publications on this work. I also used the phase equilibria model ThermoCalc to determine the stability of Hg minerals on the highlands of Venus and found that two candidates, HgS and HgTe, are unlikely to be the source of the anomalous signal. This work was published in PSJ in 2021.
Future Work
Utilizing my expertise in Venus mineralogy and weathering processes, I plan to lead several projects to further advance our understanding of Venus, which will also assist in interpreting emissivity data collected by the upcoming missions. This includes Constraining Alteration Pathways of Minerals on Venus, Investigating Venus’ Past Hydrological Cycle, and Unraveling the Source of Venus’ Radar Reflective Anomaly