Young Skin

StarDate

Europa may have the best skincare routine in the solar system. Its surface is smoother than that of any other known solid body – in part because the surface is quite young.

Europa is one of the four big moons of Jupiter. It’s a ball of ice and rock slightly smaller than our moon. Its crust is a fairly thin shell of ice. Below that, there appears to be a global ocean of liquid water dozens of miles deep. Fountains of hot water at the bottom of the ocean could provide key ingredients for life, including energy and the right chemical compounds.

The hidden ocean appears to play an important role in keeping the surface of Europa young and smooth.

Water and warm ice may reach the surface along narrow stripes that can stretch for hundreds of miles. The stripes may be like the mid-ocean ridges on Earth, where new crust is formed. Europa’s ice may slide apart there, allowing fresh material to fill in. At the same time, older ice may slide back down toward the ocean, where it can be recycled.

A spacecraft that’s orbiting Jupiter recently discovered a spot where water might have reached the surface fairly recently. It’s in a region of “chaos” terrain – a jumble of ridges, ice blocks, and low mounds. The feature covers more than a thousand square miles. It looks like a “pool” where salty water from the ocean could bubble to the surface – helping Europa keep its smooth, youthful appearance.

Script by Damond Benningfield