This image shows stages in the evolution of Ganymede.

Evolution of Ganymede

The moons and planets formed by accretion of rocky material and volatiles out of the primitive solar nebula. As they finished forming, about 4 Billion Years ago, the surface continued to be bombarde d by the remmanent of planetary material available nearby. This period is called the Period of Late, Heavy Bombardment. From the Period of Late, Heavy Bombardment forward, this is probably what happened to Ganymede:

  • warming and differentiation
  • rapid cooling of the interior of Ganymede
  • further warming and volcanism later in it's history, somewhat like case of Mars, which caused surface extension and deformation, and created the grooved ter rain.

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Differentiation

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The Grooved Terrain of Ganymede

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Evolution of Callisto

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Grooves of Ganymede

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Interior of Ganymede

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Surface of Ganymede

The surface of Ganymede is halfway between that of Callisto and that of Europa. Portions of the crust are of ancient age, while other portions are relatively new. The little white dots shown in this image...more

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