Planetary Science Seminar spring-2016

Analyzing Surface Structures on Europa: A Physical Analogue Modeling Approach

The existence of global oceans on some icy satellites—Europa and Enceladus, for example—implies the presence of a ductile warm ice layer. However, the role of such a ductile layer in controlling icy-surface deformation has never been systematically investigated nor quantified. We aim to address this issue by combining previous observations from geomorphological mapping of surface features on icy bodies with a unique two-layer analogue model containing an overlying brittle layer and a ductile creeping layer. Although analogue models have been widely used for tectonic studies on Earth, they have only rarely been adapted to the studies of the icy-surface deformation. Using the analogue experimental approach and analyzing the effects of a subsurface ductile layer, we will gain understanding of different formation mechanisms for surface features and aid in reconstructing the resurfacing history of icy satellites such as Europa.