Liquid water and active resurfacing on Europa (original) (raw)
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- Published: 20 January 1983
Nature volume 301, pages 225–226 (1983)Cite this article
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Abstract
Voyager images of the jovian moon Europa show a bright icy surface transected by a complex pattern of long, linear fracture-like markings with a slightly lower albedo1. Very few impact craters are observed, with sizes generally hi the range 10–20 km. Indicators of surface composition and texture include deep IR H2O absorption features2, UV absorption features characteristic of sulphur in a water matrix on the trailing hemisphere3, and a photometric function indicating much more homogeneous scattering than areas of equal albedo on Ganymede and Callisto4. Europe's mean density is 3.03 g cm−3, indicating a primarily silicate composition. However, if the density of the silicates is the same as for Io, the H2O mass fraction would be ∼6%, enough to form an outer layer of H2O > 100 km thick if completely differentiated. Several models have been suggested for the evolution and present state of Europa5–8. We present here arguments for recent resurfacing by H2O from a liquid layer, based on new interpretations of recent spacecraft and Earth-based observations and revised theoretical calculations.
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Authors and Affiliations
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, 94035, USA
Steven W. Squyres, Ray T. Reynolds & Patrick M. Cassen - Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
Stanton J. Peale
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- Steven W. Squyres
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar - Ray T. Reynolds
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Squyres, S., Reynolds, R., Cassen, P. et al. Liquid water and active resurfacing on Europa.Nature 301, 225–226 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/301225a0
- Received: 26 July 1982
- Accepted: 05 November 1982
- Issue Date: 20 January 1983
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/301225a0
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