(NewsNation) — New research suggests Jupiter’s volcanic moon known as “Io” has been erupting for most of the solar system’s 4.6 billion-year history.
The findings, published in the journal Science, could provide a window into the intense volcanic activity that shaped early Earth billions of years ago.
Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system, with hundreds of lava-spewing volcanoes continuously resurfacing the moon. By studying sulfur emissions from Io’s volcanoes, scientists calculated the moon has lost 94-99% of its original sulfur over eons of eruptions.
Io’s volcanoes are being replenished at a rapid rate of around 1 ton per second, according to Katherine de Kleer, a planetary scientist at Caltech and study co-author. The loss of lighter sulfur isotopes skews the remaining sulfur heavier over time.
Based on the rate of sulfur loss, the researchers estimate Io’s extreme volcanism has persisted for most of the solar system’s 4.6 billion-year existence. This runny, high-temperature lava may mimic conditions on ancient Earth when colossal volcanic events resurfaced large regions rapidly.
The findings also suggest Io’s orbital interactions with neighboring moons Europa and Ganymede have provided a continuous heat source to drive the volcanism over billions of years. This boosts the possibility that the ocean world Europa experienced enough internal heating to make it habitable for life.
“The results reveal that further exploration of Io would help us uncover the unknown histories of other volcanic worlds, including our own planet,” said Jani Radebaugh, a planetary geologist at Brigham Young University.