Abstract
Volcanism is a major process whereby a planet transfers heat produced in its interior outward to the surface. Volcanic activity involving molten rock has been directly responsible for forming at least three quarters of the surface rocks of Earth and Venus, all of the surface materials of Jupiter's satellite Io, and extensive parts of the surfaces of Mars, Earth's Moon, and Mercury. On some icy satellites, liquid water takes the place of liquid rock in cryo-volcanic activity. Investigations of the styles of volcanic activity (e.g. explosive or effusive) on a planet's surface, when viewed in terms of environmental factors such as atmospheric pressure and acceleration due to gravity, provide clues to the composition of the erupted liquid and hence, indirectly, to the chemical composition of the interior of the planet and its thermal state and history. Investigations of volcanic features on other planets have been an important spur to developing an understanding of volcanic processes on Earth.
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