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cryovolcano
Also known as ice volcano, ice volcanoes, cryovolcanoes
alt=An image of two large cryovolcanoes|thumb|upright=1.5|Leviathan Patera (center) and [[Ruach Planitia (upper left), two large cryovolcanic features on Neptune's moon Triton]]
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~26 min read
Article
23 sectionsContents
- Etymology and terminology
- Types of cryovolcanism
- Explosive eruptions
- Effusive eruptions
- Mechanisms
- Ascent
- Eruption
- Cryomagma reservoirs
- Cryomagma composition
- Observations
- Ceres
- Europa
- Ganymede
- Enceladus
- Titan
- Uranian moons
- Triton
- Pluto and Charon
- Other dwarf planets
- Gallery
- See also
- Notes
- References
alt=An image of two large cryovolcanoes|thumb|upright=1.5|Leviathan Patera (center) and [[Ruach Planitia (upper left), two large cryovolcanic features on Neptune's moon Triton]]
A cryovolcano (sometimes informally referred to as an ice volcano) is a type of volcano that erupts gases and volatile material such as liquid water, ammonia, and hydrocarbons. The erupted material is collectively referred to as cryolava; it originates from a reservoir of subsurface cryomagma. Cryovolcanic eruptions can take many forms, such as fissure and curtain eruptions, effusive cryolava flows, and large-scale resurfacing, and can vary greatly in output volumes. Immediately after an eruption, cryolava quickly freezes, constructing geological features and altering the surface.