Which moon is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System?
Quick Answer
Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active world in the Solar System. Its surface is continually reshaped by hundreds of volcanoes.
The Full Story
Io, one of Jupiter’s four large Galilean moons, is the most volcanically active body known in the Solar System. Its volcanism is driven by strong tidal heating caused by Jupiter’s gravity and orbital interactions with Europa and Ganymede. Voyager 1 first revealed active plumes in 1979, and later missions confirmed the world is covered with sulfurous lava flows and hotspots. Io’s constant volcanic activity makes it dramatically different from Earth’s Moon. It is a key example of how gravity can power internal heating far from the Sun.
Key Facts
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