Volcanology of Io

Volcanology of Io

Volcanism on Io, a moon of Jupiter, is represented by the presence of volcanoes, volcanic pits and lava flows on the moon’s surface. Observations of Io by passing spacecraft and Earth-based astronomers have revealed more than 150 active volcanoes. Up to 400 such volcanoes are predicted to exist based on these observations. Io’s volcanism makes the satellite one of only four known currently volcanically active worlds in the Solar System.

About Volcanology of Io in brief

Summary Volcanology of IoVolcanism on Io, a moon of Jupiter, is represented by the presence of volcanoes, volcanic pits and lava flows on the moon’s surface. Its volcanic activity was discovered in 1979 by Voyager 1 imaging scientist Linda Morabito. Observations of Io by passing spacecraft and Earth-based astronomers have revealed more than 150 active volcanoes. Up to 400 such volcanoes are predicted to exist based on these observations. Io’s volcanism makes the satellite one of only four known currently volcanically active worlds in the Solar System. The heat source for Io’s volcanism comes from tidal heating produced by its forced orbital eccentricity. Without this tidal heating, Io might have been similar to the Moon, a world of similar size and mass, geologically dead and covered with numerous impact craters. Some eruptions propel sulfur, sulfur dioxide gas, and pyroclastic material up to 500 kilometres into space, producing large, umbrella-shaped volcanic plumes. This material paints the surrounding terrain in red, black, andor white, and provides material for Io’s patchy atmosphere and Jupiter’s extensive magnetosphere. The discovery of a cloud of sodium surrounding Io led to theories that the satellite would be covered in evaporites. It has since been determined that the greater flux at shorter wavelengths was due to the combined flux from Io’s volcanooes and solar heating, whereas solar heating provides a much greater fraction of the flux at longer wavelengths. A paper published in the journal Science predicts a differentiated surface with distinct types of rock rather than a homogeneous blend.

This would be even greater than models of Io’s interior that took into account the massive amount of heat produced by the varying tidal pull on Io caused by its slightly eccentric orbit. The study was based on calculations based on the first images of Io from Voyager 1’s first encounter with the moon in 1979. It suggests a differentiated Io would be three times greater than ahomogeneous Io with greater heat generated by radioactive isotope decay alone with a greater lack of a differentiated interior with a distinct rock type. It also suggests that Io would have a more diverse surface than previously thought, with a more distinct surface and a distinct interior. The results of the study were published in a paper in Science on March 5, 2014. The paper was published by Stan Peenale, Patrick Cassale, and R. Reynolds. It is based on models based on this prediction and a study of the first Voyager 1 images of the moon. It was also published by the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London on March 6, 2014, and is available online. The article was written by Peenales, Cassale and Reynolds, and published by The Astrophysical Journal (ASJ) on March 7, 2015, and the Astrophysics Society of America (ASI). It is also available on the ASJ website, and can be downloaded as a free download from the Arseneau.com website. Io’s volcanic activity has led to the formation of hundreds of volcanic centres and extensive lava formations, making it the most volcanoically active body in the solar System.