Identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on Europa
Abstract Europa, the most visibly active icy moon of Jupiter, is a prime target for the search for life in the outer solar system. Two spacecraft missions, Europa Clipper from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) from the European Space A...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57070-8 |
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| author | Elodie Lesage Samuel M. Howell Marc Neveu Julia W. Miller Mariam Naseem Mohit Melwani Daswani Justine Villette Steven D. Vance |
| author_facet | Elodie Lesage Samuel M. Howell Marc Neveu Julia W. Miller Mariam Naseem Mohit Melwani Daswani Justine Villette Steven D. Vance |
| author_sort | Elodie Lesage |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Europa, the most visibly active icy moon of Jupiter, is a prime target for the search for life in the outer solar system. Two spacecraft missions, Europa Clipper from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) from the European Space Agency (ESA), will observe its surface, probe its interior structure, and characterize the space environment starting in 2030. Occasional eruptions of water sourced from Europa’s interior may provide a window on the interior conditions and habitability of the moon. Here, we investigate the storage and evolution of briny water in Europa’s ice shell and propose a framework to interpret spectral, thermal, radar and gravity data collected by future missions. We show that it is possible to discriminate between water erupting from the deep ocean or from shallow liquid reservoirs using combined measurements of the material’s salinity, surface temperature and ice shell thickness. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-710d582d2efd4feca3aa18d3580ee9b8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-710d582d2efd4feca3aa18d3580ee9b82025-08-20T03:13:14ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-02-011611910.1038/s41467-025-57070-8Identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on EuropaElodie Lesage0Samuel M. Howell1Marc Neveu2Julia W. Miller3Mariam Naseem4Mohit Melwani Daswani5Justine Villette6Steven D. Vance7Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Astronomy, University of MarylandJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Geology, University of MarylandJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyNantes Université, Univ Angers, Le Mans Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences, LPG UMR 6112Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyAbstract Europa, the most visibly active icy moon of Jupiter, is a prime target for the search for life in the outer solar system. Two spacecraft missions, Europa Clipper from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) from the European Space Agency (ESA), will observe its surface, probe its interior structure, and characterize the space environment starting in 2030. Occasional eruptions of water sourced from Europa’s interior may provide a window on the interior conditions and habitability of the moon. Here, we investigate the storage and evolution of briny water in Europa’s ice shell and propose a framework to interpret spectral, thermal, radar and gravity data collected by future missions. We show that it is possible to discriminate between water erupting from the deep ocean or from shallow liquid reservoirs using combined measurements of the material’s salinity, surface temperature and ice shell thickness.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57070-8 |
| spellingShingle | Elodie Lesage Samuel M. Howell Marc Neveu Julia W. Miller Mariam Naseem Mohit Melwani Daswani Justine Villette Steven D. Vance Identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on Europa Nature Communications |
| title | Identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on Europa |
| title_full | Identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on Europa |
| title_fullStr | Identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on Europa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on Europa |
| title_short | Identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on Europa |
| title_sort | identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on europa |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57070-8 |
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