Tohil Mons
Encyclopedia
Tohil Mons is a mountain
on the moon of Io
, one of Jupiter
's moons. It stands at 5400 m (18,000 feet) and is located in the Culann–Tohil region of Io's antijovian hemisphere.It was named after the Mayan
weather god Tohil
.
Geologically Tohil Mons is considered by NASA scientists to be one of the most geologically complex mountains in the Solar System
as the mountain shows evidence of forming from other mountains through tectonic and erosional processes, in combination with silicate volcanic rock or magma
activity .
The main massif
of Tohil Mons is characterized by ridges and grooves, which indicate materials are present which have been tectonically displaced. This includes younger mottled crustal materials that were also displaced during mass wasting processes.
The area between the mountain and the nearby volcanoes, Radegast Patera and Tohil Patera contain a noticeable number of dark and white silicate flows, which are understood to be lava
ponds or small lava lakes.
Topographical studies of the terrain indicate that there is less than 1 km of relief in the Culann–Tohil region and that there is no discernible correlation between centers of active volcanism and topography .
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
on the moon of Io
Io (moon)
Io ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter and, with a diameter of , the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. It was named after the mythological character of Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of the lovers of Zeus....
, one of Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
's moons. It stands at 5400 m (18,000 feet) and is located in the Culann–Tohil region of Io's antijovian hemisphere.It was named after the Mayan
Maya religion
The traditional Maya religion of western Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico is a southeastern variant of Mesoamerican religion. As is the case with many other contemporary Mesoamerican religions, it results from centuries of symbiosis with Roman Catholicism...
weather god Tohil
Tohil
Tohil was a deity of the K'iche' Maya in the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. At the time of the Spanish Conquest, Tohil was the patron god of the K'iche'. Tohil's principal function was that of a fire deity and he was also both a sun god and the god of rain. Tohil was also associated with...
.
Geologically Tohil Mons is considered by NASA scientists to be one of the most geologically complex mountains in the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
as the mountain shows evidence of forming from other mountains through tectonic and erosional processes, in combination with silicate volcanic rock or magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
activity .
The main massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
of Tohil Mons is characterized by ridges and grooves, which indicate materials are present which have been tectonically displaced. This includes younger mottled crustal materials that were also displaced during mass wasting processes.
The area between the mountain and the nearby volcanoes, Radegast Patera and Tohil Patera contain a noticeable number of dark and white silicate flows, which are understood to be lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
ponds or small lava lakes.
Topographical studies of the terrain indicate that there is less than 1 km of relief in the Culann–Tohil region and that there is no discernible correlation between centers of active volcanism and topography .