Europa: Ridges and Rafts on a Frozen Moon
Explanation:
The large
Jovian moon Europa may harbor liquid water
beneath its frozen crust.
Controversy surrounding this idea has been recently
fueled by dramatic images of Europa's surface from the Galileo
spacecraft.
This alluring color image
was produced by combining low resolution color data with
higher resolution mosaics recorded during three separate
flybys and covers about 120 by 150 miles.
The eerie terrain
of grooved linear ridges
and crustal plates which seem to have broken apart and
rafted into new positions could indicate subsurface
water or slush.
Blue tints represent relatively old ice surfaces while reddish
regions may contain material from more recent internal
geological activity.
White splotches are bright material blasted from the
young impact
crater Pwyll
located about 600 miles south (to the right) of this area.
Many believe that
large reservoirs of water hold out
the tantalizing possibility of organisms
living on this dim, distant world.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
