Download Volcanism in the Solar System - Lunar and Planetary Institute

Volcanism in the Solar System
Part 2 – Outer Solar System
Justin Filiberto
Lunar and Planetary Institute
Plan of Talk
1. Earth - review
2. Inner Solar System
•
•
•
•
Mercury
Venus
Moon
Mars
3. Outer Solar System
•
•
•
•
Io
Enceladus
Titan
Triton
4. Summarize
Volcanoes in the
Solar System
Outer Solar System
 Only “rocky” volcanic body: Io
 Other types of eruptions
– Icy volcanoes
– Geysers
–?
Io
 Moon of Jupiter
 Mean radius (km)
1821 (0.286XEarth)
 Mass (1022kg) 8.93
(0.015XEarth)
 Surface T (K) 130
 Gravity (m s-2) 1.8
(0.2XEarth)
 Most volcanically
active body in the
solar system.
Evidence for Volcanism
 Surface Changes
 Gas Plumes
Loki Patera…
 Active Lava Lake?
Ra Patera
 Diameter-450 km
 Height <1km
 Area of Lava250,000km2
 What type of
volcano?
 Lava type?
Ra Patera
25000
Krafla
Hawaii
Columbia River Basalt Group
Etna
Mt Hood
Olympus Mons
20000
Arsia Mons
Tharsis Tholus
Theia Mons
Sapas Mons
Ra Patera
Gruitheuisen Domes
15000
10000
5000
0
-500000
-400000
-300000
-200000
-100000
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
Pele
 Pele eruption lava >1350°C
– Hawaiian lavas ~1000°C
 Lava type?
 Volcano?
Enceladus
 Moon of Saturn
 Mean radius (km)
251 (0.04XEarth)
 Mass (1020kg) 1.1
(1.8x10-5XEarth)
 Surface T (K) 75
 Gravity (m s-2) 0.1
(0.01XEarth)
 Icy Surface
“Tiger Stripe” Ridges
Enceladus Erupts
Titan
 Moon of Saturn
 Mean radius (km)
2576 (0.4XEarth)
 Mass (1023kg) 1.35
(0.023XEarth)
 Surface T (K) 94
 Gravity (m s-2) 1.4
 Largest moon of
Saturn
 Only object with
stable liquid on the
surface (other than
the Earth)
Icy Volcano?
Icy Volcano?
Triton
 Moon of Neptune
 Mean radius (km)
1353 (0.2XEarth)
 Mass (1022kg) 2.1
(0.0036XEarth)
 Surface T (K) 38
 Gravity (m s-2) 0.78
 Surface is frozen
nitrogen and water
Triton Cryovolcanism?
 Bluish streaks – geysers of nitrogen?
Outer Planet Summary
 Possible old volcanoes on Ganymede, and
Europa similar to Enceladus?
 Possible old volcanoes on Dione and
Tethys?
 Possible volcanoes on Pluto?
 More data coming from New Horizons may
answer some of these questions…
Some questions to ponder
• What types of volcanoes are common to
the Earth only? Why?
• What types of volcanoes are common in
the inner solar system but not the outer?
Why?
• What does this suggest about the cooling
histories of the inner planets? Outer
planets?
Some questions to ponder
• From the volcanoes we have seen which
ones would we expect on which planets?
• What do they suggest about other
planets?
• Since most of us do not live near a
volcano, how can students connect
volcanoes on the Earth and other planets?