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Matson et al. 2001
Matson, D.L., Johnson, T.V., Veeder, G.J., Blaney, D.L. and Davies, A.G. (2001). Upper bound on Io’s heat flow. Journal of Geophysical Research 106: doi: 10.1029/2000JE001374. issn: 0148-0227.

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¿1014 W. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Planetology, Solid Surface Planets, Heat flow, Planetology, Solid Surface Planets, Volcanism, Planetology, Comets and Small Bodies, Atmospheres—evolution
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
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Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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