Feature type

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 feature
Ceres · ≈ 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 feature
Enceladus
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

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

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.

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