Tidally induced lateral variations of Io's interior

Steinke, Teresa; Hu, Haiyang; Höning, Dennis; Wal, Wouter van der; Vermeersen, Bert

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2019.05.001

Cited by 25 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The three investigated characteristics act at different spatial wavelengths and are as follows: (i) the temperature of the upper mantle allowing for widespread volcanism, (ii) the large-scale (spherical harmonic degree 4  ) temperature variations originating from nonuniform tidal heating, and (iii) small-scale features arising from thermal anomalies in the upper mantle. Using steady-state scaling laws based on previous work by Steinke et al (2020a) and Vilella et al (2018), we quantified these three characteristics of convection processes as a function of the above given parameters of the convective layer. This allowed us to step-wise confine the parameter space in agreement with surface observations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the following, we refer to cc Q and mag Q as the convective and the magmatic heat flux, respectively. The ratio between the convective heat flux cc Q and the heat flux out Q is defined as in Steinke et al (2020a):…”

Section: Global Presence Of Magmamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, we assume that Io's volcanic density variations are caused by lateral melt fraction variations in the convective layer, which in turn are caused by large-scale variations in the tidal heat production pattern. The model for analyzing these large-scale variations in the volcanic density field is based on the approach by Steinke et al (2020a). Our heat transport model is able to incorporate lateral differences in the heat production.…”

Section: Large-scale Anomaliesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Global Presence Of Magmamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Large-scale Anomaliesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2020

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“…As a final word of caution, we remind the reader that our calculations of the tidal response have assumed a spherically symmetrical structure and those of the librations a triaxial ellipsoidal shape in agreement with hydrostatic equilibrium. In reality, lateral variations in heat production on Io may give rise to significant lateral variations in lithospheric thickness (Spencer et al., 2020; Steinke et al., 2020). Calculating the full effect of these lateral variations on the tidal and librational response is beyond the scope of this manuscript.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Librations, Tides, and Interior Structure of Io

et al. 2020

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The melt zone in the volcanically active satellite Io plays a key role in diverse processes such as volcanism, heat transfer, tidal dissipation, and the orbital evolution of the Galilean satellites in the Laplace resonance. Information on the melt distribution, the degree of partial melt, and the possible existence of a global magma ocean has been derived from Galileo magnetic induction measurements, volcanic eruption temperatures, and Hubble Space Telescope auroral spot observations but is currently inconclusive. Here, we calculate the libration amplitude of Io for a diverse set of internal structure models and show that Io's libration can provide insight into the existence of a global magma ocean and into the thickness and rigidity of the crust above it. The diurnal libration amplitude of Io is several times larger if Io has a magma ocean instead of a partial melt asthenosphere and can reach values of above 1 km, making it easily observable for spacecraft flying close by Io on multiple occasions. It also strongly increases with decreasing crustal thickness and increases significantly with increasing rigidity. We demonstrate that the combination of observations of the libration amplitude and the tidal Love number k2 will allow estimating the rigidity and thickness of the crust separately, which is impossible with only one of the quantities observed.

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“…Another significant simplification in our model is the assumption of spherical symmetry. Tidal heating is a function of not just radius but also latitude and longitude (Ross et al, 1990; Segatz et al, 1988) and may lead to lateral temperature differences on the order of ∼100 K (Steinke et al, 2020). Such considerations will be key to deciphering the links between interior dissipation and heat transport and the surface expression of volcanism.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compositional Layering in Io Driven by Magmatic Segregation and Volcanism

et al. 2020

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The compositional evolution of volcanic bodies like Io is not well understood. Magmatic segregation and volcanic eruptions transport tidal heat from Io's interior to its surface. Several observed eruptions appear to be extremely high temperature (≥1600 K), suggesting either very high degrees of melting, refractory source regions, or intensive viscous heating on ascent. To address this ambiguity, we develop a model that couples crust and mantle dynamics to a simple compositional system. We analyze the model to investigate chemical structure and evolution. We demonstrate that magmatic segregation and volcanic eruptions lead to stratification of the mantle, the extent of which depends on how easily high temperature melts from the more refractory lower mantle can migrate upwards. We propose that Io's highest temperature eruptions originate from this lower mantle region and that such eruptions act to limit the degree of compositional stratification.

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Tidally induced lateral variations of Io's interior

Cited by 25 publications

References 55 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?

The Librations, Tides, and Interior Structure of Io

Compositional Layering in Io Driven by Magmatic Segregation and Volcanism

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