The eruption of water and other liquid or vapor-phase volatiles onto the frigid surfaces of the icy satellites of the giant planets. It is known to occur on only one of these worlds: Triton, a moon of distant Neptune, where geyserlike plumes of nitrogen were discovered during the explorations of Voyager 2. There is indirect evidence that cryovolcanic processes may have taken place elsewhere in the outer solar system and might even be active today.



