Jupiter (Planet) -- Photographs from space; Jupiter probes; Voyager Project
There is evidence in many of the Voyager photos of extensive surface
flows on Io. These originate in dark volcanic centers and either spread
to fan shapes, typically 100 kilometers across, or else snake out in
long, twisting tentacles. Some of the flows are lighter than the
background and some are darker. Most are red or orange in color, often
outlined by fringes of contrasting albedo.
The equatorial regions of Io are quite flat, with no vertical relief
greater than about 1 kilometer high; indeed, many of the volcanic
centers do not appear to correspond to mountains or domes at all. There
are, however, a number of long, curvilinear cliffs or scarps and narrow,
straight-walled valleys a few hundred meters deep. These appear to be
places in which the crust has broken under tension, somewhat similar to
terrestrial faults and the valleys called graben. A few rugged mountains
of uncertain origin are visible in low Sun elevation pictures.
Near the poles of Io the terrain is more irregular. There are few
volcanic centers, but more mountains, some with heights of several
kilometers. In addition, there are regions that appear to be made of
stacked layers of material. These so-called layered terrains are
revealed when erosion cuts into them, exposing the layers along the
cliff or scarp. The largest such plateau or mesa has an area of about
100 000 square kilometers. The scarps sometimes intersect each other,
suggesting a complex history of deposition, faulting, and erosion.
Voyager geologists believe that these scarps may be areas in which the
release of liquid sulfur or sulfur dioxide has undercut cliffs,
analogous to internal sapping by groundwater at similar scarps on Earth.
Perhaps the most distinctive surface features on Io are the circular or
oval albedo markings that surround the great volcanoes. The first of
these to be seen was the 300-kilometer-wide white donut of Prometheus,
on the equator at longitude 150°. Much more spectacular is the hoofprint
of Pele, about 700 by 1000 kilometers. These symmetric rings mark the
locations of the kinds of eruptions that generate large fountains or
plumes, and may be produced by condensible sulfur or sulfur dioxide
raining down from the volcanic fountain. At least one new ring appeared
during the four months between the Voyager encounters, centered at
longitude 330°, latitude +20°, but by the time Voyager 2 photographed
this area, no plume remained active.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account