Global Geologic Map of Jupiter's Moon Ganymede Created
Posted on February 12, 2014
Scientists have created a global geologic map of Jupiter's largest moon Ganymede. It was published by the U.S. Geological Survey. The moon was discovered over 400 years ago on January 7, 1610 by Galileo Galilei.
The published map uses imagery from NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 missions (acquired in 1979) as well as the Galileo orbiter (1995-2003). The map can be downloaded here. A larger version of the above image can be found here.
USGS scientist Baerbel Lucchitta, involved with geologic mapping of Ganymede since 1980, said in the announcement, "The highly detailed, colorful map confirmed a number of outstanding scientific hypotheses regarding Ganymede's geologic history, and also disproved others. For example, the more detailed Galileo images showed that cryovolcanism, or the creation of volcanoes that erupt water and ice, is very rare on Ganymede."
Here is a video showing a rotating globe of Ganymede with the geologic map superimposed. Take a look: