Possible scenario for the uppermost 200 kilometres on Europa
Possible scenario for the uppermost 200 kilometres on Europa
Data from previous Jupiter probes provide ample evidence that a saltwater ocean lies be-neath the icy surface of Jupiter's moon, Europa. This ocean may contain more than twice as much liquid water as all of Earth's oceans combined. This artist's impression (not to scale) illustrates what the top 200 kilometres of Europa's surface might look like: an outer shell of ice, perhaps punctured by geyser-like eruptions, above a deep ocean of water around the entire moon and deeper still, a volcanically heated rocky mantle, possibly hosting hydrothermal vents on the seafloor.
