Silpium Mons Explained

Silpium Mons is a mountain on Jupiter's moon Io. It is 5.6 kilometers in height, 113 kilometers in length, and 79.7 kilometers in width. It covers an area of 7073 km2. It is a striated ridge, meaning it is an elevated structure dominated by one or more prominent linear or arcuate rises.[1] It is named after a location in Greece where the mythological Io died of grief. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1979. It is located at -52.71°N -272.34°W,[2] south of Svarog Patera, north of Mithra Patera, and northeast of Viracocha Patera.[3] Its proximity to Svarog and Viracocha Paterae has been suggested to be evidence for a structural relationship between mountains and calderas on Io.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Io Mountain Database . planetologia.elte.hu . October 21, 2007 .
  2. Web site: USGS Astro: Planetary Nomenclature: Feature Data Search Results . USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature Feature Information . October 21, 2007 .
  3. NASA World Wind 1.4. NASA Ames Research Center, 2007.
  4. Harland, David M. (2000). Jupiter Odyssey: The Story of NASA's Galileo Mission. Springer. . p. 353