Open AccessBrines exposed to Europa surface conditions
Author(s) -
McCord Thomas B.,
Teeter Glenn,
Hansen Gary B.,
Sieger Mathew T.,
Orlando Thomas M.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: planets
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2000je001453
Subject(s) - meteorite , geology , crust , astrobiology , brine , sulfate , mineralogy , reflectivity , carbonate , spectral line , mineral , geochemistry , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , astronomy , optics
Evidence for an ocean beneath the icy crust of Europa includes reflectance spectra of disrupted surface regions indicating hydrated materials such as salts. We simulated exposure of salty brine on the cold surface of Europa by flash‐freezing sulfate and carbonate solutions. This produces materials that have near‐infrared reflectance spectra distinct from those for crystalline minerals and more similar to those for Europa's non‐ice regions. These new spectroscopic data, along with geophysical evidence, geochemical models, and meteorite studies, strongly suggest that the non‐ice materials in the disrupted regions on Europa's surface contain large amounts of disordered and heavily hydrated MgSO 4 and perhaps Na 2 SO 4 that are endogenic in origin.