NASA’s Juno probe has revealed new secrets about Jupiter’s moon Io, the most geologically active body in the solar system, and the only known place in the solar system where volcanoes release hot lava like those found on planet Earth.
Io is known as the third largest moon of Jupiter, and contains more than 400 active volcanoes. These volcanoes have been seen releasing huge clouds of sulfur and sulfur dioxide.
This volcanic activity is thought to be driven by tidal heating, with the gravitational push and pull exerted by Jupiter and other moons generating friction and heat deep within Io.
New findings from the Juno probe provide a better picture of the extent of lava lakes on Jupiter’s moon Io, and include initial insights into volcanic processes taking place there.
Dr. Alessandro Mora, a researcher at the National Institute of Astrophysics in Rome, and a co-researcher in the Juno program, said that the most common type of volcanoes observed on Io include large lakes of lava where magma periodically rises and falls.
He added that the formation of lava rings around these lakes resembles features seen at Hawaiian volcanoes, indicating similarities in geological processes despite Io’s harsh environment.
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