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Cryovolcanism

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Definition

Cryovolcanism is a volcanic phenomenon that occurs in environments with extremely low temperatures. There, instead of molten silicates, cryovolcanoes erupt liquid water, methane, ammonia, or sulfur dioxide onto the icy surface of a planet or satellite. It has been observed on several satellites of the outer solar system. In particular, active cryovolcanism has been discovered at the surface of Jupiter’s Galilean satellite Europa and on Saturn’s satellites Enceladus and possibly Titan. Traces of cryovolcanism are also found on Triton and possibly Pluto. The ejection products of cryovolcanism include water (H2O), methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), and dinitrogen (N2). Cryovolcanism could also be present on other outer satellites and trans-Neptunian objects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne University, University Paris-Diderot, Meudon, France

    Therese Encrenaz

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  1. Therese Encrenaz
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Correspondence to Therese Encrenaz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  2. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

    William M. Irvine

  3. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  6. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2019 Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

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Encrenaz, T. (2019). Cryovolcanism. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_372-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_372-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Cryovolcanism
    Published:
    21 July 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_372-3

  2. Original

    Cryovolcanism
    Published:
    30 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_372-2

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