by Jupiter’s moon Europa harbors underneath a tectonically modified ice shell a salty ocean in direct contact with its rocky interior.
Such an oceanic environment makes the icy moon a primary target for the search of a habitable world outside the Earth.
The occurrence of magmatic activity on the seafloor is essential to determine if it constitutes an environment hospitable to life.
A new study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, shows how the icy moon may have enough internal heat to partially melt the rocky layer, a process that could feed volcanoes on the ocean floor.
The 3D modeling of how this internal heat is produced and transferred is the most detailed and thorough examination yet of the effect this interior heating has on the moon.
Source
Such an oceanic environment makes the icy moon a primary target for the search of a habitable world outside the Earth.
The occurrence of magmatic activity on the seafloor is essential to determine if it constitutes an environment hospitable to life.
A new study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, shows how the icy moon may have enough internal heat to partially melt the rocky layer, a process that could feed volcanoes on the ocean floor.
The 3D modeling of how this internal heat is produced and transferred is the most detailed and thorough examination yet of the effect this interior heating has on the moon.
Source
