What is a cryovolcano?

An ice volcano that erupts water or other volatiles

Cryovolcanoes Quiz: Ice Volcanoes Across the Solar System

This cryovolcanoes quiz explores eruptions of ice across the outer Solar System. Play 10 interactive questions on volcanoes that spew water, ammonia or methane, Enceladus' plumes from tiger stripes, how they feed Saturn's E ring, Triton's nitrogen geysers seen by Voyager 2, Ceres' Ahuna Mons, possible plumes on Europa and candidates on Pluto.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Term
What is a cryovolcano?
Material
What do cryovolcanoes erupt instead of molten rock?
Enceladus
Which Saturn moon sprays plumes from its south pole?
Stripes
What are the cracks feeding Enceladus' plumes called?
Ring
Which ring do Enceladus' plumes help supply?
Triton
What did Voyager 2 see on Triton?
Ceres
Which mountain on Ceres is thought to be a cryovolcano?
Europa
What has Hubble possibly seen at Europa?
Pluto
Which world has mountains that may be cryovolcanoes?
Why
Why do cryovolcanoes interest scientists?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is a cryovolcano?
Answer: An ice volcano that erupts water or other volatiles
Cryo means cold.
Q2: What do cryovolcanoes erupt instead of molten rock?
Answer: Water, ammonia or methane
They act like lava when warm.
Q3: Which Saturn moon sprays plumes from its south pole?
Answer: Enceladus
Cassini flew through them.
Q4: What are the cracks feeding Enceladus' plumes called?
Answer: Tiger stripes
They are warmer than surroundings.
Q5: Which ring do Enceladus' plumes help supply?
Answer: Saturn's E ring
Ice particles spread along its orbit.
Q6: What did Voyager 2 see on Triton?
Answer: Nitrogen geysers
Dark plumes rose kilometers high.
Q7: Which mountain on Ceres is thought to be a cryovolcano?
Answer: Ahuna Mons
It stands alone on the plains.
Q8: What has Hubble possibly seen at Europa?
Answer: Water plumes
Findings are still debated.
Q9: Which world has mountains that may be cryovolcanoes?
Answer: Pluto
Wright Mons is a candidate.
Q10: Why do cryovolcanoes interest scientists?
Answer: They may reveal hidden oceans
Samples come from inside.

Volcanoes That Erupt Ice

Cryovolcanoes erupt water, ammonia, methane and other volatile materials instead of molten rock. On cold moons, these substances act like lava when warmed inside. Cryo means cold, and these features show that icy worlds can still be geologically active.

On Saturn's moon Enceladus, plumes spray from cracks near the south pole called tiger stripes, which are warmer than their surroundings. Cassini flew through the plumes and found water and organic molecules, and the ice particles help supply Saturn's faint E ring. On Neptune's moon Triton, Voyager 2 saw dark nitrogen geysers rising kilometers high.

On the dwarf planet Ceres, Ahuna Mons is thought to be a cryovolcano, and Pluto has mountains such as Wright Mons that may be too. Hubble has possibly seen water plumes at Europa. Scientists study cryovolcanoes because they may reveal hidden oceans.

What This Quiz Teaches

Space fans will enjoy these questions.

What cryovolcanoes are
What they erupt
Where they are found
What missions saw
Why they matter

Did You Know?

Enceladus is very bright and white.
Plume material falls back as snow.
Titan may have cryovolcanoes too.
Ice volcanoes build smooth domes.
Future missions may sample plumes.