학술논문

Isotopic evidence of long-lived volcanism on Io
Document Type
Working Paper
Source
Science, Volume 385, Issue 6696, pp. 682-687 (2024)
Subject
Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Language
Abstract
Jupiter's moon Io hosts extensive volcanism driven by tidal heating. The isotopic composition of Io's inventory of volatile elements, including sulfur and chlorine, reflects its outgassing and mass loss history and provides an avenue for exploring its evolution. We used millimeter observations of Io's atmosphere to measure sulfur isotopes in gaseous SO2 and SO, and chlorine isotopes in gaseous NaCl and KCl. We find $^{34}$S/$^{32}$S=0.0595$\pm$0.0038 ($\delta^{34}$S=+347$\pm$86 per mille), which is highly enriched compared to average Solar System values and indicates that Io has lost 94 to 99% of its available sulfur. Our measurement of $^{37}$Cl/$^{35}$Cl=0.403$\pm$0.028 ($\delta^{37}$Cl=+263$\pm$88 per mille) shows chlorine is similarly enriched. These measurements indicate that Io has been volcanically active for most or all of its history, with potentially higher outgassing and mass-loss rates at earlier times.
Comment: This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science on May 10, 2024, DOI: 10.1126/science.adj0625