Io: Heat Flow and Surface Age
Assuming Io is completely resurfaced with volcanics, ages to surface units on Io can be assigned as a function of temperature. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.
Matson, D. L.↗
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Io: heat flow and surface ages
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Io heat flow surface ages↗
Lava Flows on Io: Modelling Cooling After Solidification
We have modeled the cooling of lava bodies on Io after solidification of the lava, a process that has been little explored since Carr (1986). With recent estimates of lava flow thicknesses on Io ranging from 1 m to 10 m, the modeling of thermal emission from active volcanism must take into account the cooling behaviour after the solidification of the lava, which we model using a finite-element model. Once a lava body is fully solidified, the surface temperature decreases faster, as heat loss is no longer buffered by release of latent heat. This is significant as observed surface temperature is often the only clue available to determine lava surface age. We also find that cooling from the base of the lava is an important process that accelerates the solidification of a flow and therefore subsequent cooling. It is necessary to constrain the cooling process in order to better understand temperature-area relationships on Io's surface and to carry out stochastic modelling of lava flow emplacement.
Davies, A. G.↗
Io's Volcanism: Thermo-Physical Models of Silicate Lava Compared with Observations of Thermal Emission
Analyses of thermal infrared outbursts from the jovian satellite Io indicate that at least some of these volcanic events are due to silicate lava. Analysis of the January 9, 1990 outburst indicates that this was an active eruption consisting of a large lava flow (with mass eruption rate of order 10(exp 5) cubic m/sec) and a sustained area at silicate liquidus temperatures. This is interpreted as a series of fire fountains along a rift zone. A possible alternative scenario is that of an overflowing lava lake with extensive fire fountaining. The January 9, 1990 event is unique as multispectral observations with respect to time were obtained. In this paper, a model is presented for the thermal energy lost by active and cooling silicate lava flows and lakes on Io. The model thermal emission is compared with Earth-based observations and Voyager IRIS data. The model (a) provides an explanation of the thermal anomalies on Io's surface; (b) provides constraints on flow behavior and extent and infers some flow parameters; and (c) determines flow geometry and change in flow size with time, and the temperature of each part of the flow or lava lake surface as a function of its age. Models of heat output from active lava flows or inactive but recently emplaced lava flows or overturning lava lakes alone are unable to reproduce the observations. If the January 9, 1990 event is the emplacement of a lava flow, the equivalent of 27 such events per year would yield a volume of material sufficient, if uniformly distributed, to resurface all of Io at a rate of 1 cm/year.
Davies, Ashely G.↗