Leapin’ Lava! Volcanic eruption on Io breaks the record
By Ron Cowen
Within hours of erupting, the volcano shot fountains of lava high into the atmosphere and dumped molten rock over a region larger than London. The cataclysmic event, which occurred last year on Jupiter’s moon Io, ranks as the most powerful volcanic eruption ever recorded in the solar system.
The enormous tidal forces exerted by Jupiter’s gravity relentlessly flex Io and heat it up, making it volcanically active. The moon may experience a dozen or so massive eruptions each year. Even so, planetary scientists were surprised when one of Io’s volcanoes pulled off the record-breaking eruption. The event, which took place on Feb. 22, 2001, was twice as powerful as any other eruption observed on the Jovian satellite. Researchers report their observations in the November Icarus, a planetary science journal.