NASA’s Juno mission has detected an enormous volcanic hot spot on Jupiter’s moon Io, surpassing all previous records. The feature, larger than Earth’s Lake Superior, releases energy equivalent to six times the total output of all power plants on Earth.
The discovery was made possible by the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM), an instrument provided by the Italian Space Agency. Juno’s extended mission has allowed it to make multiple close flybys of Io, capturing data that continues to surprise scientists.
Io, roughly the size of Earth’s Moon, undergoes immense tidal stress due to its close orbit around Jupiter. This generates intense internal heat, fueling its continuous volcanic activity. The moon’s over 400 active volcanoes spew lava and gas into space.
New images taken by JunoCam in 2024 highlight dramatic surface changes near Io’s south pole. These images suggest that fresh eruptions reshaped the terrain within a short period.
Juno’s JIRAM instrument detected an intense volcanic eruption, surpassing all previous records. The detection of this new hot spot represents one of the most significant findings of Juno’s mission. The estimated size of the feature is staggering; it spans 40,000 square miles, making it the largest known volcanic hot spot on Io.
The discovery suggests the presence of a vast subsurface magma system beneath Io’s crust. Scientists believe that multiple volcanic hot spots erupted simultaneously, and Juno’s observations indicate that magma movement deep inside Io could be far more complex than previously thought.
Source: https://www.earth.com/news/volcanic-eruption-on-jupiters-moon-io-covers-area-larger-than-lake-superior-juno-mission