From NASA's Planetary Photojournal
Culann Patera, one of the most colorful volcanic centers on Io, is the centerpiece of this mosaic high-resolution, color view of Io. The images were taken on November 25, 1999 during Galileo's 25th orbit at a distance of 20,000 kilometers (12,500 miles) from Io. The picture was constructed from images taken through the red, green, and violet filters of Galileo's camera and has been processed to enhance the color variations. The resolution is about 200 meters per picture element, and north is to the top.
This mosaic shows the complex relationships between the diffuse red deposit, the more confined green deposit, and the various colored lava flows. Culann's central caldera (above and to the right of center) has a highly irregular, scalloped margin and a green-colored floor. Lava flows spill out of the caldera on all sides. A dark red, curving line extending northwest from the southwestern tip of the caldera may mark a crusted-over lava tube feeding the dark (and hot) silicate flows to the northwest. Unusual dark red flows to the southeast of the caldera may be sulfur flows or silicate flows whose surfaces have been modified. The diffuse red material around the caldera is believed to be a compound of sulfur deposited from a plume of gas.
Culann's caldera and several lava flows extending from the caldera are coated by greenish materials. Green material can also be seen in the caldera to the lower right of the image, named Tohil Patera. The greenish material often has sharp boundaries, so it is apparently confined to the caldera floor and the dark flows. It may form as a coating of sulfur-rich material on warm silicate lavas.
Image Title: Culann Patera, Io, in False Color
Catalog #: PIA02535
Target Name: Io
Spacecraft: Galileo Orbiter
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Last Modified On: Tuesday, December 19, 2000