Open AccessUpper bound on Io's heat flow
Author(s) -
Matson Dennis L.,
Johnson Torrence V.,
Veeder Glenn J.,
Blaney Diana L.,
Davies Ashley G.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: planets
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2000je001374
Subject(s) - lava , volcano , radiometer , flow (mathematics) , upper and lower bounds , geology , heat flow , cooling flow , atmospheric sciences , physics , thermal , geophysics , environmental science , astrophysics , meteorology , mechanics , optics , mathematical analysis , mathematics , seismology , galaxy
Analysis of the temperatures and areas of Io's thermal anomalies yields an upper bound on the total heat flow. An extended distribution function allows an assessment of the heat flow from undetected, cooler (but larger) anomalies and predicts a limiting temperature of ∼90–95 K for the surface. This value is in agreement with measured Voyager infrared interferometer spectrometer and Galileo Photo‐Polarimeter Radiometer nighttime “minimum temperatures.” In addition, the lack of dependence on both latitude and time of night for these observed temperatures can be explained by cooling lavas on a global scale. We consider the extreme case that Io may be covered completely by lava in various stages of cooling to the exclusion of any thermally passive ‘background’ (excepting the few high mountains). Such a distribution of volcanic thermal anomalies up to the size of Io itself yields the first upper bound for heat flow, 13.5 W m −2 . This corresponds to a total global, radiated power of 5.6×10 14 W.