Ganymede Tectonism



This is an image of the Uruk Sulcus Region of Ganymede.
Click on image for full size version (92K GIF)
Image from: NASA's Galileo spacecraft

There has been no icy volcanism on Ganymede, but it does seem that there has been a kind of tectonism, or surface motion.

Examination of the surface of Ganymede reveals many kinds of faulting and fracture. These provide evidence of stress (pushing and shoving) which the crust of Ganymede has undergone through time.

Examination of the surface of Ganymede shows:

  • Graben style faulting (another name for continental rifting)
  • Imbricate faulting (like a leaning stack of bricks)
Examination of the surface also shows a sequence of deformation, where the younger areas were deformed differently than the older areas.

This style of icy-tectonism proves to be different from either that of Callisto or Europa. (The other major moon of Jupiter, Io has a more conventional form of volcanism.) The difference has to do with processes in the interior of Ganymede


Earth's plate tectonics

Return to Ganymede

Return to moons


Does Ganymede have a Surface in Motion?



This image shows the dark terrain of Ganymede.
Click on image for full size version (92K GIF)
Image from: NASA

There has been no icy volcanism on Ganymede, nor continental drift, but it does seem that there have been movements of the surface.

Examination of the surface of Ganymede reveals many kinds of faulting. These provide evidence of the kind of pushing and stretching which the crust of Ganymede has undergone through time.

Examination of the surface of Ganymede shows:

  • rifting (like continental rifting of Earth)
  • faults which cut the surface into a leaning stack of "dominoes"
Examination of the surface also shows that the younger areas were "pushed and shoved" differently than the older areas.

This style of icy-crustal-movement proves to be different from either that of Callisto or Europa. (The other major moon of Jupiter, Io has a more Earth-like form of volcanism.) The difference has to do with heating in the interior of Ganymede


Earth's plate tectonics

Return to Ganymede

Return to moons


Does Ganymede have a Surface in Motion?



This image shows the dark terrain of Ganymede.
Click on image for full size version (92K GIF)
Image from: NASA

There has been no icy volcanism on Ganymede, nor continental drift, but it does seem that there have been movements of the surface.

Examination of the surface of Ganymede reveals many kinds of faulting. These provide evidence of the kind of pushing and stretching which the crust of Ganymede has undergone through time.

Examination of the surface of Ganymede shows:

  • rifting (like continental rifting of Earth)
  • faults which cut the surface into a leaning stack of "dominoes"
Examination of the surface also showed that the younger areas were "pushed and shoved" differently than the older areas.

This style of icy-tectonism proves to be different from either that of Callisto or Europa. (The other major moon of Jupiter, Io has a more conventional form of volcanism.) The difference has to do with processes in the interior of Ganymede


Earth's plate tectonics

Return to Ganymede

Return to moons



Last modified February 26, 2007 by Lisa Gardiner.
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer