This is a list of named

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

surface features on Jupiter's moon Io. These names have been approved for use by the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

. The features listed below represent a subset of the total known volcanic features on Io's surface with the majority currently not having an officially approved name. The names of volcanic features on Io use a combination of a name derived from mythological figures from around the world related to the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

, volcanoes, thunder, or

smithing A metalsmith or simply smith is a craftsperson fashioning useful items (for example, tools, kitchenware, tableware, jewelry, armor and weapons) out of various metals. Smithing is one of the oldest metalworking occupations. Shaping metal with a h ...

, places from the

Greek mythological A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of d ...

story of Io, Dante's ''Inferno'', or from the name of a nearby feature on Io's surface and an approved descriptive term. The descriptive term used is based on the type of feature named and how it was first discovered. Volcanoes that were first observed as an active feature from observations of a volcanic plume fit under the category of "Eruptive Center" and do not use a descriptive term, though portions of these features may have also received names that do use a descriptive term, like Prometheus Patera or Masubi Fluctus. Lava flows use the descriptive term ''fluctus'' or the plural ''fluctūs'', e.g. Acala Fluctus. Volcanic depressions use the term ''patera'' or the plural ''paterae'', e.g. Ah Peku Patera. The term has also become the generic term for referring to these structures. Small shield volcanoes use the term ''tholus'' or the plural ''tholi'', e.g. Inachus Tholus. Finally, channels carved by volcanic lava flows through thermal erosion use the term ''vallis'' or the plural ''valles''. See also the list of mountains on Io and the list of regions on Io.

Eruptive centers

Eruptive centers on Io are locations typically where major volcanic activity was observed and characterized before the volcanic landform was. Coordinate, diameter, and name source come from the IAU's Solar System Nomenclature Website. All of these features have been observed as active volcanoes on Io.

Paterae

The following table lists named volcanic depressions or paterae on Io. Coordinate, diameter, and name source come from the IAU's Solar System Nomenclature Website. Notes on whether the patera has been observed as an active volcano by either ground-based astronomers, the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most vers ...

, or the various spacecraft that have encountered the Jupiter system come from the book, ''Volcanism on Io'', unless otherwise noted. In 2006, the use of the term ''catena'' , for Ionian volcanoes with multiple depressions, was discontinued in favor of the plural ''paterae'' . These features are Tvashtar Paterae, Reshet Paterae, and Mazda Paterae.

Lava flows

Ionian fluctūs (areas of

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

flow) are named after fire and thunder gods in various mythologies, or after locations in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

associated with Io. Coordinate, length, and name source come from the IAU's Solar System Nomenclature Website. Notes on whether the lava flow has been observed as part of an active volcano by either ground-based astronomers, the

, or the various spacecraft that have encountered the Jupiter system come from the book, ''Volcanism on Io'', unless otherwise noted.

Shield volcanoes

Ionian shield volcanoes or tholi are named after mythological figures associated with fire or with the nymph Io.

Lava channels

Ionian lava channels that cut into the surrounding terrain use the term ''vallis''.

References

USGS Planetary Nomenclature: Io
{{Authority control *