![]() ![]() Io's volcanism has led to the formation of hundreds of volcanic centres and extensive lava formations, making it the most volcanically active body in the Solar System. 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. This variation in the shape of Io causes frictional heating in its interior. Io's eccentric orbit leads to a slight difference in Jupiter's gravitational pull on the satellite between its closest and farthest points on its orbit, causing a varying tidal bulge. ![]() This differs from Earth's internal heating, which is derived primarily from radioactive isotope decay and primordial heat of accretion. Io's volcanism makes the satellite one of only four known currently volcanically active worlds in the Solar System (the other three being Earth, Saturn's moon Enceladus, and Neptune's moon Triton).įirst predicted shortly before the Voyager 1 flyby, the heat source for Io's volcanism comes from tidal heating produced by its forced orbital eccentricity. Up to 400 such volcanoes are predicted to exist based on these observations. Observations of Io by passing spacecraft (the Voyagers, Galileo, Cassini, and New Horizons) and Earth-based astronomers have revealed more than 150 active volcanoes. Its volcanic activity was discovered in 1979 by Voyager 1 imaging scientist Linda Morabito. ![]() Volcanism on Io, a moon of Jupiter, is represented by the presence of volcanoes, volcanic pits and lava flows on the moon's surface. This ability to generate heat in a subsurface ocean increases the chance of life on bodies like Europa and Enceladus.Io, with two plumes erupting from its surface ![]() Other moons in the Solar System undergo tidal heating, and they too may have more heat generated by this process, including heat from the movement of water. When the molten rock flows, it may swirl and rub against the surrounding rock, thus generating heat. The team who wrote the paper believe that the subsurface ocean is a mixture of molten and solid rock. Liquids, especially if they are sticky (or viscous), can produce heat through friction. The movement of this magma would generate extra heat. A study published in 2015, explains the eastern shift by an ocean of molten rock under the surface. They are shifted 30 to 60 degrees to the East. Īlthough there is general agreement that the cause of the heat as manifested in Io's many volcanoes is tidal heating from the pull of gravity from Jupiter and its moon Europa, the volcanoes are not in the positions predicted with tidal heating. The friction-induced heating drives strong volcanic activities on the surface of Io. The varying distance between Jupiter and Io continually changes the degree of distortion of Io's shape and flexes its interior, frictionally heating it. Io is the innermost of this set of resonant moons, and their interactions maintain its orbit in an eccentric (elliptical) state. Differently from the Earth’s only moon, Jupiter has two other large moons ( Europa and Ganymede) that are in an orbital resonance with it. This difference in gravitational forces cause distortion of Io’s shape. As Jupiter is very massive, the side of Io nearest to Jupiter has a slightly larger gravitational pull than the opposite side. The major heating source of Earth and its moon is radioactive heating, but the heating source on Io is tidal heating. This is caused by the heating mechanism of Io. Io has a similar mass and size as the Moon, but Io is the most geologically active body in the Solar System. Orbital and rotational energy are dissipated as heat in the crust of the moon. Tidal heating of Io (also known as tidal working) occurs through the tidal friction processes between Jupiter and its moon. (C) Earth's moon's orbit is circular, so the moon's shape doesn't change.(factually untrue, Io's orbit is 10 times more circular than our moon's) Io's shape changes as it completes its orbit. Gravity from these bodies pull Io in varying directions. (A) Of the four major moons of Jupiter, Io is the inner-most one. Dissipation of orbital and rotational friction between Jupiter and Io Tidal heating on Io. ![]()
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