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162-12 Geological Mapping of Io in the Juno Era

Session: Planetary Geologic Mapping Across the Solar System

Presenting Author:

David Williams

Authors:

Williams, David A.¹, Seeger, Christina H.², Nelson, David M.³, Davies, Ashley G.⁴, Perry, Jason E.⁵

(1) School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA, (2) Department of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA, (3) School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA, (4) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA, (5) Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA,

Abstract:

Planetary geologic maps are fundamental tools used to unravel the complex geologic histories of planetary objects, and have been produced for planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets at a variety of scales. Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active object in the Solar System, in which geologic mapping has enabled recognition of volcanic changes from the Voyager era through the Galileo era. Now, in 2023-2024, NASA’s Juno polar orbiter has obtained relatively high-resolution (<2 km/px) images of Io’s surface. These images have not only filled in a data gap at Io’s north pole in the Galileo-Voyager basemap, but have also imaged parts of the surface not seen well since the 1979 Voyager 1 flyby. We have produced several geologic maps in multiple publications [1, 2, 3] that identify new discoveries and volcanic changes, including: 1) three new paterae, 5 smaller vents, and 4 new mountains in the north polar region; 2) recognition of a new map unit, blocks, that appear to be rocky fragments of layered plains displaced downslope on mountains by regolith creep-modified cliff collapse, in the north polar mountains; 3) multiple eruptions with major resurfacing events by dark lava flows and/or plume deposits, such as Guaraci Fluctus; and 4) four reclassifications of flows or paterae to mountains, because of the different lighting conditions of Juno images.

Reference: [1] Perry, J.E., et al., 2025. PSJ, 6:84, https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adbae3; [2] Ravine, M.A., et al, 2025. JunoCam Observations of Io, JGR-P, in press; [3] Seeger, C., et al., 2025. Mountain degradation mechanisms on Io based on geologic mapping of the Cocytus Montes region from JunoCam imagery, JGR-P, in press.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7222

Geological Mapping of Io in the Juno Era

Description

Session Format: Oral

Presentation Date: 10/21/2025

Presentation Start Time: 11:15 AM

Presentation Room: HBGCC, 214B

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