What process prevents smaller moons from maintaining internal heat over eons, unlike Earth?
Answer
Their high surface area to volume ratio causes rapid heat loss to space.
The fundamental physical challenge faced by small celestial bodies attempting to maintain geological heat over billions of years relates to their geometry. Smaller objects possess a high surface area relative to their total volume. This high ratio means that any internal heat generated, whether from formation or radioactive decay, can escape or radiate away into space much more quickly compared to massive worlds like Earth. This rapid thermal dissipation is why, absent an external energy source, moons like Io or Enceladus would have ceased activity long ago, resembling the geologically dead state of Mars.
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