Click on the thumbnail images to see larger versions of the images. Io's surface is covered with volcanic deposits that are thought to contain ordinary silicate rock, along with various sulfur-rich compounds that give the satellite its distinctive color. In the brighter areas the surface is coated with frosts of sulfur dioxide.
Dark areas are regions of current or recent volcanic activity.
Planetary scientists say many changes are evident in the surface markings since this region of Io was imaged 17 years ago by the Voyager spacecraft. The bright regions near the eastern limb of the moon are much more prominent in the Galileo images than they were previously. Masubi was discovered as an active volcano during the Voyager encounters of Io in 1979. The plume of one eruption along Io's limb is seen in this image. Because Io has no atmosphere, particulate material erupted on Io is ejected great distances ballistically and not suspended in large eruption clouds as on Earth.