Thor (volcano)

Thor is an active volcano on Jupiter's moon Io. It is located on Io's anti-Jupiter hemisphere at 39°09′N 133°08′W / 39.15°N 133.14°W / 39.15; -133.14^[2]. A major eruption with high thermal emission and a large, volcanic plume was observed during a Galileo flyby on August 6, 2001, when the spacecraft flew through the outer portions of the plume allowing for direct sampling. The eruption continued into Galileo's next flyby in October 2001.^[1]^[3] As seen during high-resolution images taken during the eruption, Thor consists of a series of dark lava flows emanating from a set of nearby volcanic depressions.^[1] Before the eruption, the area consisted of red-brown plains, composed of irradiated sulfur, typical of Io's mid- to high-northern latitudes and a set of yellow flows, possibly consisting of sulfur or silicate flows covered by diffuse sulfur deposits.^[4] During the New Horizons encounter in February 2007, Thor was still active, with the spacecraft observing thermal emission in the near-infrared and a volcanic plume at the volcano.^[5]

Thor was named in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) after the Norse god of thunder, Thor.^[2]

^ ^a ^b ^c Turtle, E. P.; et al. (2004). "The final Galileo SSI observations of Io: orbits G28-I33". Icarus. 169 (1): 3–28. Bibcode:2004Icar..169....3T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.10.014.
^ ^a ^b "Thor". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
^ Lopes, R. M. C.; et al. (2004). "Lava lakes on Io: Observations of Io's volcanic activity from Galileo NIMS during the 2001 fly-bys". Icarus. 169 (1): 140–174. Bibcode:2004Icar..169..140L. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.11.013.
^ Williams, D. A.; et al. (2005). "The Zamama–Thor region of Io: Insights from a synthesis of mapping, topography, and Galileo spacecraft data". Icarus. 177 (1): 69–88. Bibcode:2005Icar..177...69W. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2005.03.005.
^ Spencer, J. R.; et al. (2007). "Io Volcanism Seen by New Horizons: A Major Eruption of the Tvashtar Volcano". Science. 318 (5848): 240–243. Bibcode:2007Sci...318..240S. doi:10.1126/science.1147621. PMID 17932290. S2CID 36446567.

[Turtle2004-1] Turtle, E. P.; et al. (2004). "The final Galileo SSI observations of Io: orbits G28-I33". Icarus. 169 (1): 3–28. Bibcode:2004Icar..169....3T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.10.014.

[GPNThor-2] "Thor". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.

[Lopes2004-3] Lopes, R. M. C.; et al. (2004). "Lava lakes on Io: Observations of Io's volcanic activity from Galileo NIMS during the 2001 fly-bys". Icarus. 169 (1): 140–174. Bibcode:2004Icar..169..140L. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.11.013.

[Williams2005-4] Williams, D. A.; et al. (2005). "The Zamama–Thor region of Io: Insights from a synthesis of mapping, topography, and Galileo spacecraft data". Icarus. 177 (1): 69–88. Bibcode:2005Icar..177...69W. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2005.03.005.

[Spencer2007-5] Spencer, J. R.; et al. (2007). "Io Volcanism Seen by New Horizons: A Major Eruption of the Tvashtar Volcano". Science. 318 (5848): 240–243. Bibcode:2007Sci...318..240S. doi:10.1126/science.1147621. PMID 17932290. S2CID 36446567.

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