Cryovolcanism in the Solar System

Cryovolcanism in the Solar System

The Cryovolcanism in the Solar System workshop was held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, on June 5–7, 2018. This workshop brought together attendees to better understand the past, present, and future of cryovolcanic research.

The two-and-a-half-day workshop covered background on cryovolcanism to 41 attendees. Overview talks included topics on how silicate volcanism helps to inform cryovolcanic processes and what kinds of features have been hypothesized to be cryovolcanic in origin. Subsequent presentations reviewed cryovolcanic features on bodies in the solar system, including the unique brine-driven volcanism on the dwarf planet Ceres. Talks combined active research areas like Pluto’s Wright Mons, which is hypothesized to be a cryovolcano, as well as discussing the mechanics of how to drive negatively buoyant materials onto the surface of icy bodies through their icy crusts.

The workshop allotted significant blocks of time to encourage time for discussion, and by the end of the meeting participants suggested that this become a reoccurring workshop with a cadence of 2–3 years. As more attention is drawn to ocean worlds, the increasing interest in refining our understanding of cryovolcanic processes has grown. We anticipate organizing a follow-up workshop in the next few years.

For more information, including links to the program and abstracts, visit the meeting website at https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/cryovolcanism2018/.