cryovolcano
Frozen moon eruption
A cryovolcano is a volcano that erupts volatile materials like water, ammonia, or methane instead of molten rock.
These ice volcanoes occur on moons and dwarf planets in the outer solar system, where temperatures are cold enough for such substances to behave like magma does on Earth.
Cryovolcanism has been observed or inferred on bodies including Enceladus, Triton, and Pluto, where geysers or flows of icy material reshape the surface.
Icy moon with geysers
- EuropaGalilean moon with subsurface ocean
- TitanMythic giant or moon
- TritonSea deity with conch
- GanymedeJupiter's largest natural satellite
Ceres · Pluto · Charon · Miranda · Ariel · Tethys · Rhea · tiger stripes
Ornamental feather or rising column
- geyserErupting thermal vent
- ventOpening for airflow
- jetForced fluid stream
- columnVertical structural element
vapor · outburst · fissure · ejecta · fountain · particles · gas · eruption
Below the outer layer
- frozenSolidified by extreme cold
- polarOf extreme latitudes
- frigidExtremely and intensely cold
- coldLow temperature state
ice cap · glacier · permafrost · Kuiper belt · low temperature · extreme · pressure
Acrid nitrogen-hydrogen gas
- methaneSimplest alkane fuel
- nitrogenElement seven, colorless gas
- brineWater saturated with sodium
- slurrySemifluid mixture of solids
viscosity · sublimation · outgassing · volatile · extrusion · resurfacing
Collapsed volcanic summit basin
- domeRounded vault forming roof
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
- edificeLarge impressive building
- flowUnbroken forward movement
plain · ridge · mound · depression · fissure · vent · resurfacing · terrain
Saturn mission namesake
- VoyagerNASA interstellar mission name
- GalileoRenaissance astronomer from Italy
- HuygensSeventeenth-century Dutch astronomer
- New HorizonsUndiscovered opportunities ahead
spacecraft · flyby · imaging · spectroscopy · radar · infrared · observation · astrobiology
Enceladus
Icy moon with geysers
Ganymede · Ceres · Pluto · Charon · Miranda · Ariel · Tethys · Rhea · tiger stripes · ocean world
plume
Ornamental feather or rising column
column · vapor · outburst · fissure · ejecta · fountain · particles · gas · eruption · effusive
subsurface
Below the outer layer
cold · ice cap · glacier · permafrost · Kuiper belt · low temperature · extreme · pressure
ammonia
Acrid nitrogen-hydrogen gas
slurry · viscosity · sublimation · outgassing · volatile · extrusion · resurfacing
caldera
Collapsed volcanic summit basin
flow · plain · ridge · mound · depression · fissure · vent · resurfacing · terrain · topography
Cassini
Saturn mission namesake
- VoyagerNASA interstellar mission name
- GalileoRenaissance astronomer from Italy
- HuygensSeventeenth-century Dutch astronomer
New Horizons · spacecraft · flyby · imaging · spectroscopy · radar · infrared · observation · astrobiology · habitability
cryovolcanovolcano
Earth's fiery vent
stratovolcano · shield volcano · lava dome · supervolcano · caldera
volcano, volcanic, volcanism, cryogenics, volcanology, cryotherapy, cryosphere, cryogenic, cryosurgery