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  • Presentation | P32A: Ice and Ocean Worlds: Geology, Oceanography, Chemistry, and Habitability IV Oral
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  • P32A-02: Tectonic breathing of Europa: Geological processes supporting subsurface ocean habitability (invited)
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Author(s):
Martin Kihoulou, Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Geophysics (First Author, Presenting Author)
Laëtitia Lebec, Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Geophysics
Gael Choblet, Nantes Université, Univ Angers, Le Mans Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences, LPG UMR 6112
Gabriel Tobie, Nantes Université, Univ Angers, Le Mans Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences, LPG UMR 6112
Klara Kalousova, Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Geophysics
Ondřej Čadek, Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Geophysics


Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons, is a leading candidate in the search for life beyond Earth, soon to be explored by two space missions: Europa Clipper and JUICE. One key factor in determining whether Europa’s subsurface ocean could support life is the exchange of chemicals between the ocean and the surface. While surface bands—hundreds of kilometers in length—may represent the oceanic material reaching the surface, we recently showed that a process similar to Earth’s subduction could carry oxygen-rich ice from the surface down into the ocean. These processes are likely driven by Europa’s ice shell expanding and contracting over time, as the shape of its orbit around Jupiter changes. To better understand what can surface features reveal about Europa’s interior, we studied how the evolution of ice grain size and the presence of salts influence the tectonic deformation. In the most favorable scenario, a channel of warm, rising ice could directly connect the ocean with the surface, forming smooth bands. Our predictions about heat flow and salt distribution across these bands not only offer insights into Europa’s interior, but may also help us understand the evolution of its neighboring moons, Io and Ganymede.



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