Io (Jupiter's Moon Series) - (Important Facts) {Part-34}

Note:- Hello everybody, Welcome to the Series of Jupiter's Moon.

THE CLOSEST MOON TO JUPITER'S and slightly larger than our Luna, Io is the most geologically active body in the Solar System, with over 400 active volcanoes on its surface.

Io

Unlike most of the other moons in the moons in the Solar System which feature water based volcanism, the magma produced by Io's volcanoes is actually liquid rock, heated to high temperature by tidal forces from Jupiter and its other moons.

Volcanic Eruption in Io

Extensive mountain ranges are produced by tectonic activity, not the abundant volcanoes, in the same way that mountains from on Earth, reaching heights of up to 18km/11.2mi, averaging about 6km/3.7mi.

Structure of Io

The mottled, largely yellow and brown surface is a result of sulphur compounds from volcanoes and sulphur dioxide frost that condenses out of Io's thin atmosphere. Interaction of charged particles from Jupiter with this atmosphere produces Auroras in Io's skies.

The moon is largely composed of rock surrounding a molten iron or iron sulfide core and due to the large scale volcanism which is constantly resurfacing it, there are no visible impact craters on the surface.