Volcanism in the Solar System Part 1: Inner Solar System

Volcanism in the Solar SystemVolcanism in the Solar SystemPart 1: Inner Solar SystemPart 1: Inner Solar System

Justin Filiberto

Lunar and Planetary InstituteModified for Rockin’ 2010 by Carla Burns

Plan of TalkPlan of Talk1. Earth - review2. Inner Solar System

• Mercury • Venus• Moon• Mars

3. Outer Solar System• Io• Enceladus• Titan• Triton

4. Summarize Volcanoes in the Solar System

Earth’s Shield VolcanoesEarth’s Shield Volcanoes

Earth’s Composite/StratovolcanosEarth’s Composite/Stratovolcanos

Earth’s Earth’s VolcanoesVolcanoes

• Cinder Cone

• Caldera Complex

• Lava Flows

• Tuff Ring

• And many more…

Mercury

Volcanoes

Seen by

Messenger

Spacecraft

more to come…

MercuryMercury

Venus Surface Landers: Venus Surface Landers: Venera & VEGAVenera & VEGA

Vener a 13 Surface

SiO2 45.1 TiO2 1.6 Al2O3 15.8 Fe2O3 -- FeO 9.3 MnO 0.3 MgO 11.4 CaO 7.1 Na2O -- K2O 4.00 SO3 1.6 Sum 96.1

Sapas MonsSapas Mons• 400 km

across, 1.5 km tall

• Slope ~ 0.5°

• Very long flows

• What type of Volcano?

Maat MonsMaat Mons• JPL Press Image 20x

Vertical Exaggeration• Unexaggerated …• What type of Volcano?

Pancake DomesPancake Domes

• Single Flows, Steep sides

• Height 1/2 - 1 km.

• What kind of volcano?

• What kind of lava?

Pancake DomesPancake Domes

• Rhyolite?• Or merely cold,

crystal-rich basalt?

• What kind of volcano?

• What kind of lava?

??

• Low cones in flat lava plains

• A few km diam. (5 km for inset)

• What type of lava?

• What kind of volcano?

MoonMoon

• 1/3 diam of Earth

• 1/6 gravity

• Dark, low, mare plains.

Mare PlainsMare Plains

ChannelsChannels

DomesDomes

• Gruithuisen domes• 20 km across, 1.2 km

tall. Avg ~7° slope; steepest ~20°.

• Are these volcanic?• If so, what are they

most like on Earth?

MarsMars

Mars Earth• From Sun (AU) 1.5 1.0• Mean radius (km) 3386 6371• Mass (1024kg) 0.642 5.98• Surface T (K) 227 295• Gravity (m s-2) 3.7 9.8

Olympus MonsOlympus Mons

• 640 x 840 km across

• 21 km tall

• Avg slope 5°

• What kind of volcano?

• What kind of lava?

Lava Flows on Lava Flows on O.M. 1O.M. 1

<-- - - - - 3 km - - - - -->

Tharsis TholusTharsis Tholus

• 150 km across

• 8 km tall

• What kind of volcano?

• What kind of lava?

• Small Hill

• Steep Slope, ~30°

• Surrounded by thin lava flows

• What is it?

On Syrtis Major, a Shield On Syrtis Major, a Shield VolcanoVolcano

• Broken Cinder Cone?

On Syrtis Major, a Shield VolcanoOn Syrtis Major, a Shield Volcano

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

-500000 -400000 -300000 -200000 -100000 0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000

Krafla

Hawaii

Columbia River Basalt Group

Etna

Mt Hood

Olympus Mons

Arsia Mons

Tharsis Tholus

Theia Mons

Sapas Mons

Gruitheuisen Domes

Outer Solar SystemOuter Solar System

• Only “rocky” volcanic body: Io

• Other types of eruptions– Icy volcanoes– Geysers– ?

IoIo

• 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 thesolar system.

Evidence for VolcanismEvidence for Volcanism

• Surface Changes

• Gas Plumes

Loki Patera…Loki Patera…

• Active Lava Lake?

Ra PateraRa Patera

• Diameter-450 km• Height <1km• Area of Lava- 250,000km2

• What type of volcano?

• Lava type?

Ra PateraRa Patera

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

-500000 -400000 -300000 -200000 -100000 0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000

Krafla

Hawaii

Columbia River Basalt Group

Etna

Mt Hood

Olympus Mons

Arsia Mons

Tharsis Tholus

Theia Mons

Sapas Mons

Ra Patera

Gruitheuisen Domes

PelePele

• Pele eruption lava >1350°C – Hawaiian lavas ~1000°C

• Lava type?

• Volcano?

EnceladusEnceladus

• 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 EruptsEnceladus Erupts

TitanTitan• 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?

Icy Volcano?Icy Volcano?

TritonTriton

• 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?Triton Cryovolcanism?

• Bluish streaks – geysers of nitrogen?

Outer Planet SummaryOuter 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 ponderSome 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 ponderSome 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?