Simulations reveal that dense, salt-rich ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa can sink through its thick ice shell.
Research suggests Europa’s salty ice sinks into ocean, delivering nutrients, oxidants life
Photo Credit: NASA
The surface of Jupiter's moon is composed of ice and is filled with craters and crevices, which imply the presence of a hidden ocean. A brand-new study indicates this ocean is probably supplied with nourishment. This is enabled through undersurface ice blocks, or ‘drips' of dense and saline ice, falling into the ocean as these ice blocks become extremely heavy and release into the ocean. This ice drip brings with it nutrients and increases its habitable potential.
In the new study, scientists modelled a Europa-like ice shell 30 kilometres thick, finding that salty surface patches become denser and weaker. Under these conditions, the salt-rich ice detaches and slowly sinks through the shell. Simulations showed that all surface layers considered eventually descended toward the base of the shell.
The sinking can occur on geological timescales: in fractured ice, it can begin in as little as ~30,000 years, while intact shells took 5–10 million years. The authors liken this to lithospheric foundering on Earth, where dense crust sinks into the mantle.
Europa's hidden ocean could thus be fed by the sinking ice, which carries down oxidants and nutrients produced on the surface. Simulations suggest this process could recur over geological timescales, acting as a steady pipeline of nutrients into the ocean.
As study lead author Austin Green notes, the idea addresses one of Europa's habitability problems and is "a good sign for the prospects of extraterrestrial life" in the ocean. Launched in 2024, NASA's Europa Clipper will reach the moon in 2030 to make dozens of flybys and study the ice shell and ocean.
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