Evidence of plate tectonics on Europa
September 9, 2014 at 6:01 pm
(This post was last modified: September 9, 2014 at 7:26 pm by Anomalocaris.)
NASA finds what appears to be signs of ongoing subduction in the morphology of the surfaces of Europa. In order for old plates to be subducted somewhere on a planet or moon, new plates must be manufactured somewhere else. The newly manufactured plates must then migrate horizontally to the location of subduction.
Therefore this is prima facia evidence of on-going plate tectonics on the Jovian moon of Europa.
Plate tectonics is thought by many biologists to be vital to providing a stable and hospitable environment for life on earth. The type of plate tectonics on Europa involves water ice rather than hard rock. It is not clear if plate tectonics of ice is truly analogous to plate tectonics of rocks in terms of providing hospitality for our kind of life.
But plate tectonics of ice does strongly suggest a great deal of heat is coming up through the salt water ocean underneath the ice to power the whole thing. This in turn suggest the rocky part of Europa under the water ocean is also geologically active and experience subsurface volcanism. This is a better sign for the possibility of earth like biochemistry.
Europa plate tectonics
Therefore this is prima facia evidence of on-going plate tectonics on the Jovian moon of Europa.
Plate tectonics is thought by many biologists to be vital to providing a stable and hospitable environment for life on earth. The type of plate tectonics on Europa involves water ice rather than hard rock. It is not clear if plate tectonics of ice is truly analogous to plate tectonics of rocks in terms of providing hospitality for our kind of life.
But plate tectonics of ice does strongly suggest a great deal of heat is coming up through the salt water ocean underneath the ice to power the whole thing. This in turn suggest the rocky part of Europa under the water ocean is also geologically active and experience subsurface volcanism. This is a better sign for the possibility of earth like biochemistry.
Europa plate tectonics
