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Planetary science: Tectonic activity unlikely on Europa
Jupiter’s moon Europa may currently have little to no active faulting at its seafloor, according to a modelling study published in Nature Communications. This prediction challenges previous assumptions and could have implications for the potential habitability of Europa’s subsurface ocean.
On Earth, tectonic activity is known to have a role in supporting life-sustaining habitats. This occurs through water–rock interactions at and beneath the sea floor, which can provide chemical energy for potential life. Thus, the presence of tectonic activity on a planet may be one of numerous signs to indicate an environment that could be equipped to support life. One of Jupiter’s moons, Europa, is thought to host a subsurface ocean under its icy surface. Previous research has suggested that there could be volcanic activity at the seafloor of Europa, whether tectonic activity is possible has not been studied previously.
Paul Byrne and colleagues conducted extensive modelling to assess potential tectonic activity in Europa’s theorised subsurface ocean. These predictions were benchmarked against known or proposed behaviour on Earth’s seafloor and Enceladus (one of Saturn’s icy moons). The authors considered stresses from tides, global contraction, mantle convection, and serpentinization (a geological process that occurs when rocks interact with water). However, they found that none of these processes are likely to be driving tectonic activity, even along pre-existing fractures on Europa’s seafloor at this time. This finding would suggest that ocean water–rock interactions are likely contained to the topmost few hundred meters of the seafloor, limiting possibilities for habitable conditions on the seafloor.
Future research (including NASA’s 2024 Clipper Mission) will look to collect direct evidence of Europa’s geology and tectonics. The authors suggest that investigations into potentially habitable conditions on the icy moon should focus on life-sustaining conditions that are independent from active seafloor tectonics.
