Cryovolcano
An 'ice volcano' that erupts water, ammonia, or methane instead of molten rock, resurfacing the frozen worlds of the outer Solar System — from Ceres's Ahuna Mons to the plumes of Enceladus.
In brief
A volcano that erupts icy materials rather than rock.
Examples of this feature
- Ahuna MonsSurface featureCeres · ≈ 4 km high
A steep, isolated mountain on Ceres interpreted as a cryovolcano — a dome built by icy, briny material erupting from within the dwarf planet.
- Tiger StripesSurface featureEnceladus
Four parallel fractures across the south pole of Enceladus from which giant plumes of water vapour and ice erupt into space — fed by the moon's subsurface ocean.
Knowledge connections
- Group includesAhuna Mons
- Group includesTiger Stripes
- Associated withCryovolcanism
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.