What causes volcanoes on Io?
Io's energy source is external---Jupiter's gravity. Io orbits
very close to Jupiter, the planet's huge gravitational field
produces strong tidal forces on the moon, resulting in a large
tidal bulge. If Io were Jupiter's only satellite, it would have
long ago have come into a state of synchronous rotation with the
planet. In that case, Io would move in a perfectly circular orbit
with one face permanently turned toward Jupiter. The tidal bulge
would be stationary, and there would be no internal stresses and no
volcanism. However, Io experiences tidal pull from Jupiter's other
moons also.