Sulfur and chlorine isotopes in the atmosphere of Io, Jupiter’s moon, reveal its continuous volcanic activity over the entire 4.57 billion-year history of the Solar System. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Research using isotopic analysis of Io’s atmosphere suggests the moon has been volcanically active since the Solar System’s formation, influenced by tidal forces fromSulfur and chlorine isotopes in the atmosphere of Jupiter’s moon Io suggest that it has experienced continuous volcanic activity throughout the 4.57 billion-year history of the Solar System, reveals a recent study. The research provides new insights into the moon’s volcanic history.
Known as the most volcanically active body in the Solar System, Io’s extreme volcanic activity stems from tidal heating. This heating is due to friction generated within the moon’s interior as it experiences gravitational pulls from Jupiter and its neighboring moons, Europa and Ganymede. Jupiter’s moon Io, its night side illuminated by reflected sunlight from Jupiter, or “Jupitershine.” Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS, Emma Wälimäki © CC BYHowever, how long Io has hosted such extensive volcanism isn’t fully understood. Due to the moon’s current level of volcanic activity, the surface of Io is constantly being reworked, leaving a geological record of only the most recent million years of its history.