New Photos from Europa Hint at Underground Ocean

Recently, the satellite Galileo photographed Jupiter's moon Europa at a distance that was 200 times closer than any previous photos. Geologists are able to describe the icy covering of Europa better than ever, and are suggesting that under the ice, lies a water ocean, which could potentially harbor life. What looks like criss-crossing lines may actually be ridges of volcanic activity similar to Earth's midocean volcanic ridges. On Europa, the ridges appear to be icy debris forced up by volcanoes, meaning that underneath the ice there is heat, and possibly liquid water. Some suggest that the lines of Europa are cracks in large pieces of the ice crust that may have been rearranged by the subsurface ocean repeatedly in recent times. If there is an ocean under the ice that is heated by volcanic activity, it may very likely contain life. Researchers hope to learn more from Galileo's next pass by Europa in February.

"Does Europa's Ice Hide an Ocean," Science, vol. 274, page 2015 December 20, 1996

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