Submitted by AutoModerator t3_zf37c4 in askscience
willardTheMighty t1_izb9akx wrote
Are there any moons in our solar system which we suspect (or know) have a molten core? Plate tectonics?
nivlark t1_izc17z4 wrote
Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system. It has a close elliptical orbit around Jupiter, and the changing strength of gravity as it orbits stretches and squeezes the planet, with the resulting friction being able to keep the core molten.
loki130 t1_izdw0pk wrote
Io has a molten interior but nothing like plate tectonics, magma pretty much just erupts straight upwards through the crust across the surface.
Several other moons like Europa, Enceladus, and maybe Titan are expect to have something like tectonic plates and maybe subduction in their icy crusts, but in detail it wouldn't be quite the same as what we see on Earth, in large part because it's occuring in ice and water rather than rock.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments