The spacecraft actually flew through a cryovolcanic plume and documented its composition to be mainly water vapor with minor amounts of nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide.
One theory for the mechanism behind the cryovolcanism is that subsurface pockets of pressurized water exist a short distance perhaps as little as a few tens of meters beneath the moon's surface. This water is kept in the liquid state by the tidal heating of the moon's interior.
Occasionally these pressurized waters vent to the surface, producing a plume of water vapor and ice particles. The most direct evidence that can be obtained to document volcanic activity on extraterrestrial bodies is to see or image the eruption taking place. Another type of evidence is a change in the body's surface. An eruption can produce a ground cover of debris or a resurfacing.
Volcanic activity on Io is frequent enough and the surface is visible enough that these types of changes can be observed. Without such direct observations, it can be difficult from Earth to know if the volcanism is recent or ancient. Potential Area of Recent Volcanic Activity on Pluto: A high-resolution color view of one of two potential cryovolcanoes spotted on the surface of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft in July This feature, known as Wright Mons is about 90 miles kilometers across and 2.
If it is in fact a volcano, as suspected, it would be the largest such feature discovered in the outer solar system. Cryovolcanoes on Enceladus were not discovered until , and an exhaustive search has not been done across the solar system for this type of activity.
In fact, some believe that volcanic activity on our close neighbor Venus still occurs but is hidden beneath the dense cloud cover. A few features on Mars suggest possible recent activity there. It is also very likely, perhaps probable, that active volcanoes or cryovolcanoes will be discovered on moons of icy planets in the outer portions of our solar system such as Europa , Titan, Dione, Ganymede, and Miranda.
In , scientists working with images from NASA's New Horizons mission assembled high-resolution color images of potential cryovolcanoes on the surface of Pluto. The accompanying image shows an area on Pluto with a possible ice volcano. Because there are very few impact craters on deposits around this potential volcano, it is thought to have a geologically young age.
For more detailed photos and explanations, see this article on NASA. Ahuna Mons , a mountain of saltwater ice on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres, is shown in this simulated perspective view.
It is thought to have formed after a plume of salt water and rock ascended through the dwarf planet's interior, then erupted a plume of salty water. The salty water froze into saltwater ice and built a mountain that is now about 2. In , scientists from NASA, the European Space Agency, and the German Aerospace Center published a study that they believe solves the mystery of how Ahuna Mons, a mountain on the surface of Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, was formed.
They believe that Ahuna Mons is a cryovolcano that erupted salty water after an ascending plume rose to the surface of the dwarf planet. For more information, see this article on NASA. Spatter Cones Mount St. Login or Register Customer Service. RISE —. PHASE —. Tonight's Sky — Change location. US state, Canadian province, or country. Tonight's Sky — Select location. Tonight's Sky — Enter coordinates.
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