Compositional Layering in Io Driven by Magmatic Segregation and Volcanism

Spencer, Dan C.; Katz, Richard F.; Hewitt, Ian; May, David A.; Keszthelyi, L.

doi:10.1029/2020je006604

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…We assume that due to compositional layering (Spencer et al., 2020b) or simply due to the presence of melt only in the upper part of Io's mantle, a large viscosity difference between the upper and the lower mantle emerges. We assume that the upper, low‐viscosity layer of Io is convective (e.g., Monnereau & Dubuffet, 2002; Shahnas et al., 2013; Tackley, 2001; Tackley et al., 2001), and that Io's total heat output is produced in this layer.…”

Section: Modeling the Characteristics Of Io's Convective Layermentioning

confidence: 99%

Can a Combination of Convective and Magmatic Heat Transport in the Mantle Explain Io's Volcanic Pattern?

et al. 2020

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Tidal dissipation makes Jupiter's moon Io the most volcanically active body in the Solar system. Most of the heat generated in the interior is lost through volcanic activity. In this study, we aim to answer the questions: Can convection and melt migration in the mantle explain the spatial characteristics of Io's observed volcanic pattern? And, if so, what constraints does this place on the viscosity and thickness of the convective layer? We examine three different spatial characteristics of Io's volcanic activity: i) The presence of global volcanism; ii) the presence of large-scale variations in Io's volcanic activity; and iii) the number of Io's volcanic systems. Our study relies on the assumptions that melt in the mantle controls Io's global volcanism, that the large-scale variations of Io's volcanic activity are caused by non-uniform tidal heating, and that the spatial density of volcanoes correlates with the spatial density of convective anomalies in the mantle. The results show that the observed small and large-scale characteristics of Io's volcanic pattern can be explained by sub-lithospheric anomalies influenced and caused by convective flow. Solutions that allow for active volcanism and Io's specific large-scale variations in volcanic activity range from a thick mantle of a high viscosity (19 10 Pa s) to a thin asthenosphere of a low viscosity (12 10 Pa s). Provided that Io's volcanoes are induced by convective anomalies in the mantle, we find that more than 80% of Io's internal heat is transported by magmatic processes and that Io's upper mantle needs to be thicker than 50 km.

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Section: Modeling the Characteristics Of Io's Convective Layermentioning

confidence: 99%

Can a Combination of Convective and Magmatic Heat Transport in the Mantle Explain Io's Volcanic Pattern?

et al. 2020

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“…There is negligible sulfur isotopic fractionation between the melt and the residual for the case where all sulfur is present as sulfide in both materials, based on the isotope composition of coexisting silicate and sulfide in natural samples ( 34 α = 1.0000 ± 0.0003; Labidi & Cartigny, 2016; Labidi et al., 2014; Mandeville et al., 2009). Some studies suggest that the mantle may be split into an upper and lower mantle (Spencer, Katz, Hewitt, May, & Keszthelyi, 2020), which we include as an option with an inter‐mantle flux of sulfur between them. Our model assumes that mantle melts are either intruded into the crust as plutons or erupted at the surface and degassed; based on Spencer, Katz, and Hewitt (2020), we assume 80% is intruded (Section S2.2 in Supporting Information ).…”

Section: Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Io's Sulfur Isotope Cycle to Understand the History of Tidal Heating

Hughes,

de Kleer,

Eiler

et al. 2024

JGR Planets

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Stable isotope fractionation of sulfur offers a window into Io's tidal heating history, which is difficult to constrain because Io's dynamic atmosphere and high resurfacing rates leave it with a young surface. We constructed a numerical model to describe the fluxes in Io's sulfur cycle using literature constraints on rates and isotopic fractionations of relevant processes. Combining our numerical model with measurements of the 34S/32S ratio in Io's atmosphere, we constrain the rates for the processes that move sulfur between reservoirs and model the evolution of sulfur isotopes over time. Gravitational stratification of SO2 in the upper atmosphere, leading to a decrease in 34S/32S with increasing altitude, is the main cause of sulfur isotopic fractionation associated with loss to space. Efficient recycling of the atmospheric escape residue into the interior is required to explain the 34S/32S enrichment magnitude measured in the modern atmosphere. We hypothesize this recycling occurs by SO2 surface frost burial and SO2 reaction with crustal rocks, which founder into the mantle and/or mix with mantle‐derived magmas as they ascend. Therefore, we predict that magmatic SO2 plumes vented from the mantle to the atmosphere will have lower 34S/32S than the ambient atmosphere, yet are still significantly enriched compared to solar‐system average sulfur. Observations of atmospheric variations in 34S/32S with time and/or location could reveal the average mantle melting rate and hence whether the current tidal heating rate is anomalous compared to Io's long‐term average. Our modeling suggests that tides have heated Io for >1.6 Gyr if Io today is representative of past Io.

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The Composition of Io

Keszthelyi

Suer

2023

Astrophysics and Space Science Library

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Compositional Layering in Io Driven by Magmatic Segregation and Volcanism

Cited by 8 publications

References 47 publications

Can a Combination of Convective and Magmatic Heat Transport in the Mantle Explain Io's Volcanic Pattern?

Can a Combination of Convective and Magmatic Heat Transport in the Mantle Explain Io's Volcanic Pattern?

Using Io's Sulfur Isotope Cycle to Understand the History of Tidal Heating

The Composition of Io

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