Scientists have been fascinated by the deep saltwater ocean of Europa, a candidate for life in our solar system. It is encased in an icy shell that could be tens of miles thick, making it difficult to sample. The ice shell may be less of a barrier and more of a system with potential habitability.
Ice-penetrating radar observations that captured the formation of a double ridge in Greenland suggest the ice shell may have an abundance of water pockets beneath similar features that are common on the surface. The findings, which appear in Nature Communications April 19, may be compelling for detecting potentially habitable environments within the Jovian moon.
There is a chance that life has a chance if there are pockets of water in the shell, because it is closer to the surface.
A relic from the past.
Researchers use airborne instruments to understand how the growth and retreat of ice sheets might impact sea-level rise. Dynamic subglacial lakes, surface melt ponds and seasonal conduit drainages contribute to uncertainty in sea-level predictions.
The study co-authors were surprised when they saw formations on the icy moon that looked similar to a small feature on the surface.
We were working on something completely different related to climate change and its impact on the surface of Greenland when we saw these tiny double ridges.
They found that the double ridge in Greenland could be a miniature version of the most prominent feature on Europa.
It is prominent and prevalent.
Double ridges on the moon appear as dramatic gashes across the icy surface, with crests reaching nearly 1000 feet, separated by valleys about a half-mile wide. The features on the moon have been known to scientists for a long time, but they have not been able to explain how they were formed.
Through analyses of surface elevation data and ice-penetrating radar collected from 2015 to 2017, the researchers revealed how the double ridge on northwest Greenland was produced when the ice fractured around a pocket of pressurized liquid water that was refreezing inside of the ice.
The double ridge formed in a place where water from surface lakes and streams frequently drain into the near-surface and refreezes.
The complexity is snowballing.
The shell of Europa seems to undergo a variety of geological and hydrological processes, which is supported by this study and others. Habitability is supported by a dynamic ice shell since it facilitates the exchange between the ocean and other bodies.
People have been studying these double ridges for over 20 years, but this is the first time we were able to see nature work out its magic.
The double ridges form is so complex that the co-authors could not have conceived it without the analog on Earth.
The mechanism we put forward in the paper would have been difficult to propose without seeing it happen.
Researchers will be able to quickly detect double ridge formation using ice-penetrating radar, one of the instruments currently planned for exploring Europa from space.
Culberg said that their hypothesis has some observations from the formation of a similar feature on Earth to back it up.
More information: Riley Culberg, Double ridge formation over shallow water sills on Jupiter's moon Europa, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29458-3. www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29458-3 Journal information: Nature Communications Citation: Explanation for formation of abundant features on Europa bodes well for search for extraterrestrial life (2022, April 19) retrieved 19 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-explanation-formation-abundant-features-europa.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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