Which moon in the Solar System is the most volcanically active body known, featuring hundreds of active volcanoes erupting molten silicate lava and sulfur?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Io
- Step 1: Io is the innermost of the four Galilean satellites orbiting Jupiter, completing an orbit in approximately 42 hours.
- Step 2: Immense tidal heating caused by gravitational tug-of-war between Jupiter, Europa, and Ganymede continuously flexes Io's interior, generating intense internal heat and non-stop volcanic eruptions.
Answer
Io
Why not the others: 'Europa' Europa is covered in an icy crust with a subsurface liquid water ocean, exhibiting cryovolcanism rather than silicate lava; 'Ganymede' Ganymede is a dormant, heavily iced moon with a magnetic field and no active volcanism; 'Callisto' Callisto has an ancient, heavily cratered surface showing no active volcanic or tectonic activity.
Practise more The Solar System and Planetary Science.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed General Knowledge mock tests.
More The Solar System and Planetary Science questions
- Which planet in the Solar System has the highest surface temperature, despite not being the closest planet to the Sun?
- What is the largest moon in the Solar System, possessing its own internally generated magnetic field and exceeding planet Mercury in diamete…
- Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano and highest known planetary mountain in the Solar System, is situated on which celestial body?
- Which planetary body in the Solar System has a dense, nitrogen-rich atmosphere and stable bodies of liquid hydrocarbons (methane and ethane)…
- The main asteroid belt in our Solar System is situated between the orbits of which two planets?
- Which planet exhibits an extreme axial tilt of approximately 98 degrees, causing it to effectively rotate on its side as it orbits the Sun?