Jupiter's Moon Io has been volcanically active for 4.5 billion years
Jupiter's moon Io is the most volcanically active place in the solar system.
SPACE
20 Apr, 2024
Amit Malewar
Io, as seen by the Galileo spacecraft. Credit: JPL
Io, Europa, and Ganymede are Jupiter’s moons arranged in orbits. Due to the gravitational pull between these moons, their orbits are elliptical rather than circular. On such orbits, Jupiter’s gravity can warm the moons’ interiors, contributing to the volcanism of Io and warming the liquid ocean beneath the frozen surface of Europa.
How long has volcanic activity been going on in Io?
The most volcanically active location in the solar system is Jupiter’s moon Io, claims a recent study by a group of planetary scientists and geologists from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the University of California Santa Cruz, New York University, and the California Institute of Technology. It has been volcanically active for billions of years- almost 4.5 billion years.
Scientists measured the isotopes of sulfur found in the atmosphere of Io. Io’s inventory of volatile chemical elements, such as sulfur and chlorine, has an isotopic composition that records its evolution by reflecting its mass loss and outgassing history.
They also discovered that the moons Io, Europa, and Ganymede have been tidally engaged in a resonant dance known as Laplace resonance for billions of years.
More:
https://www.techexplorist.com/jupiter-moon-io-volcanically-active-4-5-billion-years/83042/
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