JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Map of Io's Volcanic Heat Flow

Sept. 15, 2015
This frame from an animation shows Jupiter's volcanic moon Io as seen by NASA's Voyager and Galileo spacecraft (at left) and the pattern of heat flow from 242 active volcanoes (at right).

Click here for full animation of PIA19655
Click on the image for the full animation

This animation shows Jupiter's volcanic moon Io as seen by NASA's Voyager and Galileo spacecraft (at left) and the pattern of heat flow from 242 active volcanoes (at right). The red and yellow areas are places where local heat flow is greatest -- the result of magma erupting from Io's molten interior onto the surface.

The map is the result of analyzing decades of observations from spacecraft and ground-based telescopes. It shows Io's usual volcanic thermal emission, excluding the occasional massive but transient "outburst" eruption; in other words, this is what Io looks like most of the time.

This heat flow map will be used to test models of interior heating. The map shows that areas of enhanced volcanic heat flow are not necessarily correlated with the number of volcanoes in a particular region and are poorly correlated with expected patterns of heat flow from current models of tidal heating -- something that is yet to be explained.

This research is published in association with a 2015 paper in the journal Icarus by A. Davies et al., titled "Map of Io's Volcanic Heat Flow," (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.003.)

The work was funded by NASA's Outer Planets Research and Planetary Geology and Geophysics Programs. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Target
  • Jupiter
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Bear Fight Institute

Keep Exploring

Three Views of Europa

Chaos Near Agenor Linea

Crisscrossing Bands

Chaos Transition

Galileo in High Bay 1

Europa's Plumes Located near 'Warm Spot' on Europa

Hubble Sees Recurring Plume Erupting From Europa

Highest-resolution Europa Image & Mosaic from Galileo

Europa's Varied Surface Features

Europa's Stunning Surface

Related Topic

News .

My Favorite Martian Image: ‘Enchanted’ Rocks at Jezero Crater

News .

Swarm of Tiny Swimming Robots Could Look for Life on Distant Worlds

News .

Help NASA Scientists Find Clouds on Mars

Event June 30, 2022 .

JPL & the Space Age: The Pathfinders

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Takes Inventory of Key Life Ingredient on Mars

News .

NASA to Discuss Psyche Asteroid Mission

News .

NASA Mars Orbiter Releasing One of Its Last Rainbow-Colored Maps

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Captures Stunning Views of a Changing Mars Landscape

News .

NASA’s InSight Gets a Few Extra Weeks of Mars Science

News .

NASA, Partner Establish New Research Group for Mars Sample Return Program

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono