Pits, Uplifts And Small Chaos Features On Europa
One of the clearest but unresolved questions for Europa is the thickness of its icy shell. Europa’s surface is resplendent with geological features that bear on this question, and ultimately on its interior, geological history, and astrobiological potential.
We characterize the size and topographic expression of circular and subcircular features created by endogenic thermal and tectonic disturbances on Europa: pits, uplifts, and small, subcircular chaos. We utilize the medium-resolution Galileo regional maps (RegMaps), as well as high-resolution regions, digital elevation models derived from albedo-controlled photoclinometry, and in some cases stereo-controlled photoclinometry. While limited in extent, the high-resolution images are extremely valuable for detecting smaller features and for overall geomorphological analysis.
A peak in the size-distribution for all features is found at ~5-6 km in diameter and no pits smaller than 3.3 km in diameter were found in high resolution images. Additionally, there is a trend for larger pits to be deeper, and larger uplifts to be higher. Our data support a diapiric or intracrustal sill interpretation (as opposed to purely non-intrusive, melt-through models) and place a lower limit on ice shell thickness at the time of feature formation of 3-to-8 km, assuming isostasy and depending on the composition of the ice and underlying ocean.
Pits, Uplifts and Small Chaos Features on Europa: Morphologic and Morphometric Evidence for Intrusive Upwelling and Lower Limits to Ice Shell Thickness
Kelsi N. Singer, William B. McKinnon, Paul M. Schenk
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Journal reference: Icarus 364, 114465 (2021)
DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114465
Cite as: arXiv:2108.01795 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2108.01795v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
Submission history
From: Kelsi Singer
[v1] Wed, 4 Aug 2021 00:13:40 UTC (5,572 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.01795
Astrobiology
