"Io's Tallest Mountain, the Majestic South Boosaule Montes"

by Mike Boss
Casein and Gouache on Board
12" X 18"

First in a series of three Ionian mountain paintings.

Surrounded on the eastern and southeastern flank by a spacious plateau, South Boosaule Montes rises from the surface of Jupiter's innermost major moon, Io. At over 11 miles in elevation, the mountain is by far the most towering on the Jovian moon. In the painting a scarp is shown with a deposit of downslope material. I chose a low elevated lighting to capture the highest part of the peak while the downside is in deeper shadow.

The area known as Boosaule Montes has three major mountains, South, North and East.

The mountain received its name from a cave in the Greek Mythology where Epaphus, son of Zeus and Io was born.

The expanse is northwest of the huge red-ringed Pele' patera. Both locations are south of the equator on Io.