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High-temperature silicate volcanism on Jupiter's moon Io

January 1, 1998

Infrared wavelength observations of Io by the Galileo spacecraft show that at last 12 different vents are erupting lavas that are probably hotter than the highest temperature basaltic eruptions on Earth today. In at least one case, the eruption near Pillan Patea, two independent instruments on Galileo show that the lava temperature must have exceeded 1700 kelvin and may have reached 2000 kelvin. The most likely explanation is that these lavas are ultramafic (magnesium-rich) silicates, and this idea is supported by the tentative identification of magnesium-rich orthopyroxene in lava flows associated with thse high-temperature hot spots.

Publication Year 1998
Title High-temperature silicate volcanism on Jupiter's moon Io
DOI 10.1126/science.281.5373.87
Authors A. S. McEwen, L. Keszthelyi, J.R. Spencer, G. Schubert, D. L. Matson, R. Lopes-Gautier, K.P. Klaasen, T. V. Johnson, J.W. Head, P. Geissler, S. Fagents, A.G. Davies, M. H. Carr, H.H. Breneman, M. J. S. Belton
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Science
Index ID 70020771
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
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