GEOL 212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 40: Radiogenic Nuclide, Solar System, Sulfur Dioxide

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Geology
• Course: GEOL 212
• Professor: John Merck

Document Summary

I o: now imagine a world with so much internal heat that, unlike. It"s surface heat flow is 30 times that of earth: as a result, io experiences constant and widespread volcanic activity characterized by long-lived eruptions. Differentiation: although inhabiting the outer solar system, io is a terrestrial planet in terms of size and composition, but enriched in more volatile elements, particularly sulfur. As hot as it is, it is hard to see how io could avoid being differentiated: core: density indicates an iron and sulfur rich core - probably molten. Absence of a global magnetic field suggests that the core does not have strong convection currents: mantle: silicate. Data from the galileo probe indicate the presence of a thin layer of liquid magma (10-20% of mantle mass) beneath the lithosphere. Io"s volcanoes seem to tap two distinct types of magma: silicate magma similar to earth"s (e. g.