Journal
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
Volume 31, Issue 23, Pages -Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1029/2004GL021378
Keywords
-
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We have discovered a prominent >190 km long, similar to0.5-6 km wide lava channel on Io. The channel is sinuous with interior islands and may be associated with the active Tawhaki Patera hotspot. Photoclinometric analysis of the Galileo images indicates that this channel, provisionally named Tawhaki Vallis, is similar to40-65 m deep. Although a constructional contribution cannot be ruled out, the depth, morphology, and sinuosity of the channel is consistent with erosion by lava. Erosion of flowing silicate over silicate substrate or flowing sulfur over sulfur substrate likely requires eruption durations of days to months to form an similar to50 m deep channel, whereas flowing silicate over a sulfur substrate or flowing sulfur over a frozen SO2 substrate would likely require only hours to days. Future spacecraft observation of actively forming lava channels on Io are possible and desirable.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available