Voyager 1 photographed active
volcanoes on Jupiter's satellite, Io. This huge plume of rock and gasses
was photographed from 422,000 miles away. It is estimated to be about
174 miles high.
Voyager 1 photographed active
volcanoes on Jupiter's satellite, Io. This huge plume of rock and gasses
was photographed from 422,000 miles away. It is estimated to be about
174 miles high.
It would take an estimated
velocity of 1200 miles per hour to create a plume this high. On Earth,
explosions of this type usually involve the explosive release of trapped
gasses from the magma. They also usually involve water. But because Io
is thought to be an extremely dry planet, other sources for this
explosive gas are being investigated.
These two photo's of Io show
what appears to be a volcanic caldera that is venting gasses. The vent
is a complex circular structure with a bright ring about 300 kilometers, or
186 miles wide. It has a central region of irregular light and dark
patterns.
Since Voyager's infrared
spectrometer has discovered sulfur dioxide on Io, it is possible that
sulfur dioxide is the main component of the clouds. Sulfur dioxide clouds would
rapidly freeze and snow back on the surface. It is also possible that the
dark areas in the floors of the calderas are pools of molten sulfur.
This is a very dark form of sulfur.
Return to:
Mount St. Helens & Other
Volcanoes
Other Volcanoes, Space
Mount St. Helens
VolcanoWorld