What substance could potentially flow and pool on the surface of Venus?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the question of what substances could potentially flow and pool on the surface of Venus, considering its extreme temperature and pressure conditions. Participants explore various materials and their properties in relation to Venus's environment.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that any substance that melts but does not boil in Venus's environment could potentially be present.
  • Another participant humorously proposes rivers of lead, questioning the feasibility of such a flow due to lead's density.
  • A later reply clarifies that the flow rate of a fluid is more related to viscosity than density, using residual fuel oils as an example.
  • Concerns are raised about the density of molten lead and other dense materials like quicksilver and bismuth, which may not pool effectively on the surface due to their tendency to fill cracks in the ground.
  • Brimstone is mentioned as a candidate, with its boiling point significantly increased under Venus's high pressure, potentially allowing it to exist in a liquid state.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of ideas about potential substances, with no consensus on a definitive answer. Multiple competing views remain regarding the feasibility of various materials flowing on Venus's surface.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of pressure and temperature conditions on boiling points and fluid behavior, but specific assumptions about the properties of materials under Venus's conditions remain unresolved.

Terdbergler
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I realize that there are no lakes or rivers on Venus, but, given the surface temperature, pressure, etc. what substance COULD flow and pool on Venus the way water and liquid ethane flow and pool on the surfaces of Earth and Titan respectively?
 
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I don't know. Rivers of lead, maybe? :p It would be too dense to flow like a river, I guess. Unless the river is really steep
 
It is certainly possible Venus may once have had liquid water on its surface before 'global warming' took over. Just about anything that melts, but, does not boil in the current Venusian environment could be present.
 
M-TheorySUCKS said:
I don't know. Rivers of lead, maybe? :p It would be too dense to flow like a river, I guess. Unless the river is really steep

In the liquid state, lead flows quite readily. The rate of flow of a fluid is not connected so much to the density as to the viscosity of the fluid. For example, residual fuel oils have approximately the same density as water, but these oils must be heated in order to reduce their viscosity sufficiently to allow them to be pumped without expending a tremendous amount of power to do so.
 
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Another problem is that molten lead, like quicksilver or bismuth, are dense - denser than rocks. They would squeeze into cracks in ground.

How about brimstone? Its boiling point at 1 bar is 444 degrees, but surface of Venus has 92 bar pressure, and the boiling point of brimstone rises to 1041 degrees at the critical point of 203 bar.
 

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