Premium
Is there liquid water on Europa?
Author(s) -
Cassen P.,
Reynolds R. T.,
Peale S. J.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl006i009p00731
Subject(s) - crust , liquid water , mantle (geology) , tidal heating , geology , dissipation , frost (temperature) , geophysics , astrobiology , water ice , earth science , geomorphology , physics , thermodynamics
It is possible that tidal dissipation in an ice crust on Europa preserved a liquid water layer beneath it, provided that the three‐body orbital resonance for Io, Europa, and Ganymede is ancient. The liquid water layer could be a continuing source of the observed surface frost. If Europa's water mantle were ever completely frozen, heating by tidal dissipation would not exceed that produced by radioactive elements, and the mantle would remain frozen.