Mapping Io's Volcanic Activity: Insights into Tidal Heating Concentration
NASA's Juno probe has provided the first charted map of Jupiter's moon Io, revealing over 200 active volcanoes on its surface. The data suggests that Io may have a global ocean of magma underneath its surface and mysteriously warm poles. The extreme volcanic activity is believed to be caused by tidal heating generated by Jupiter's gravitational forces. The concentration of volcanoes on the moon's poles is roughly the same as elsewhere, but they emit less energy. The north pole volcanoes are more than twice as energetic as those in the south, possibly due to differences in crust thickness.
