It ’s thought Jupiter ’s moon Europa has more water under its gelid crust than in all the seas on the surface of our planet . This fluent sea has the interest of scientist because it is believed that water system is key to life sentence , making Europa a competition for the good piazza to look for life in the Solar System . Now a potential newfangled feature on the moon is adding to this possible action . model suggest the mien of seafloor volcanos .
In a paper issue inGeophysical Research Letters , researcher suggest Europa has an interior live enough to create underwater volcanos . Volcanos may not appear just life - well-disposed when they come out but they really do make favorable conditions . On Europa , their possible presence gives the oceans two of the essence affair : chemicals and vigor . On Earth , underwater volcanos and hydrothermal vents areteeming with life , and are where some believeall life on Earth began .
The researcher looked at the gravitational drag of Jupiter and some of its other moon on Europa . These interaction stress the upcountry layers generating heat . This is what might volcanism onfellow moon Io , which is closer to Jupiter . The researchers ' modelling suggests that this can also happen on Europa .
“ Our finding provide additional evidence that Europa ’s subsurface sea may be an surroundings suitable for the emergence of life , ” chair author Marie B?hounková of Charles University in the Czech Republic , said in astatement . “ Europa is one of the rare terrestrial body that might have maintained volcanic bodily function over 1000000000 of years , and possibly the only one beyond Earth that has magnanimous water man-made lake and a long - live author of muscularity . ”
Volcanic activity on Europa , according to the framework , is more likely to take place at higher latitude , and that it ’s potential this has been happening for billions of class .
A potential way to confirm if the theoretical account is right will get along in the other 2030s whenNASA ’s Europa Clipperand theEuropean Space Agency ’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer ( JUICE)will begin their explorations of the Jovian scheme .
“ The prospect for a live , rocky interior and volcano on Europa ’s seafloor increases the chance that Europa ’s ocean could be a habitable environment , ” said Europa Clipper project scientist Robert Pappalardo of NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory . “ We may be able to test this with Europa Clipper ’s planned gravity and compositional measurement , which is an exciting prospect . ”
Neither Europa Clipper nor JUICE is design to seek for life but their orbital study will help us knead out if lifetime is possible and maybe even if it ’s likely .
