Potential Cryovolcanic Regions on Ganymede: A Priority Target for JUICE
Abstract
One of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission goals of the European Space Agency, launched in 2023 April, is the detailed characterization of Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon and a confirmed ocean world. Among its science objectives, JUICE will investigate Ganymede’s past or possibly ongoing cryovolcanic and tectonic activity and assess material exchange between the surface, subsurface, and internal ocean. The JUICE Science Working Team has identified potential cryovolcanic regions as targets of high scientific interest, very relevant for astrobiological investigations. Using Voyager and Galileo images, G. C. Collins et al. identified 20 paterae and other candidate cryovolcanic regions, yet their origin and composition remain poorly constrained due to the limited spatial and spectral resolution of existing datasets. Here, we present a comprehensive reassessment of these 20 regions to support JUICE mission preparation. We integrate detailed analysis with a systematic spectral investigation using reprocessed Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer data and a consistent linear spectral unmixing approach which enables comparative assessment of compositional trends and spectral variability. Our results reveal distinct spectral groups among the candidate paterae, ranging from ice-dominated terrains to salt-enriched assemblages, showing systematic differences across model runs that use temperature-dependent laboratory end-members. Several regions display coherent morphological characteristics and compositional signatures consistent with cryovolcanic resurfacing or brine-related processes. These regions emerge as the most compelling targets for high-resolution imaging and spectroscopic observations by JUICE instruments, including with the camera JANUS and with MAJIS. This integrated analysis refines the prioritization of candidate cryovolcanic regions and provides a framework for interpreting future JUICE observations of Ganymede.
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BibTeX
@article{solomonidou2026potential,
title = {{Potential Cryovolcanic Regions on Ganymede: A Priority Target for JUICE}},
author = {Anezina Solomonidou and Christos Ntinos and Katrin Stephan and Federico Tosi and Michael Malaska and Athena Coustenis and Sébastien Rodriguez and Rosaly Lopes and Alice Lucchetti and Giuseppe Mitri and Klara Kalousova and Martin Valenti and Olivier Witasse},
journal = {The Planetary Science Journal},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.3847/psj/ae69cd},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05765186v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Potential Cryovolcanic Regions on Ganymede: A Priority Target for JUICE
AU - Anezina Solomonidou
AU - Christos Ntinos
AU - Katrin Stephan
AU - Federico Tosi
AU - Michael Malaska
AU - Athena Coustenis
AU - Sébastien Rodriguez
AU - Rosaly Lopes
AU - Alice Lucchetti
AU - Giuseppe Mitri
AU - Klara Kalousova
AU - Martin Valenti
AU - Olivier Witasse
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/04
JO - The Planetary Science Journal
DO - 10.3847/psj/ae69cd
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05765186v1
AB - One of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission goals of the European Space Agency, launched in 2023 April, is the detailed characterization of Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon and a confirmed ocean world. Among its science objectives, JUICE will investigate Ganymede’s past or possibly ongoing cryovolcanic and tectonic activity and assess material exchange between the surface, subsurface, and internal ocean. The JUICE Science Working Team has identified potential cryovolcanic regions as targets of high scientific interest, very relevant for astrobiological investigations. Using Voyager and Galileo images, G. C. Collins et al. identified 20 paterae and other candidate cryovolcanic regions, yet their origin and composition remain poorly constrained due to the limited spatial and spectral resolution of existing datasets. Here, we present a comprehensive reassessment of these 20 regions to support JUICE mission preparation. We integrate detailed analysis with a systematic spectral investigation using reprocessed Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer data and a consistent linear spectral unmixing approach which enables comparative assessment of compositional trends and spectral variability. Our results reveal distinct spectral groups among the candidate paterae, ranging from ice-dominated terrains to salt-enriched assemblages, showing systematic differences across model runs that use temperature-dependent laboratory end-members. Several regions display coherent morphological characteristics and compositional signatures consistent with cryovolcanic resurfacing or brine-related processes. These regions emerge as the most compelling targets for high-resolution imaging and spectroscopic observations by JUICE instruments, including with the camera JANUS and with MAJIS. This integrated analysis refines the prioritization of candidate cryovolcanic regions and provides a framework for interpreting future JUICE observations of Ganymede.
SN - 2632-3338
ER -