在欧罗巴的浅层地下水上,正在积极形成"混乱地形"
B E Schmidt1, D D Blankenship, G W Patterson
1Institute for Geophysics, John A. & Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, J. J. Pickle Research Campus, Building 196 (ROC), 10100 Burnet Road (R2200), Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA. britneys@ig.utexas.edu
Nature
|November 18, 2011
概括
欧罗巴独特的混沌地形可能是由与冰相互作用的浅地地下水晶体形成的. 这些冰水相互作用解释了木星月球上观察到的多样化的地形和圆顶.
科学领域:
- 行星科学 行星科学
- 地质地质地质地质地质地
- 海洋世界海洋世界
背景情况:
- 木星冰冷的卫星欧罗巴在复杂的冰下面有一个地下液态水海洋.
- 混沌地形是欧罗巴独特的半圆形特征,它们的形成和冰的厚度构成了地质难题.
- 现有的模型无法解释像康纳马拉混沌这样的混沌地形中的高度地形和矩阵圆顶.
研究的目的:
- 研究欧洲混沌地形的形成机制.
- 确定欧洲的热状态和冰水相互作用在塑造表面特征中的作用.
- 提出一种新的模型,解释混沌地形的形态和地形.
主要方法:
- 分析欧洲的档案数据.
- 应用比较行星学,使用在地球的冰下火山和冰架中观察到的过程.
- 在欧罗巴冰内的冰水相互作用的热力学和地质建模.
主要成果:
- 混沌地形被建议在浅水液态水晶体上方形成,在冰内的深度只有3公里.
- 冰水相互作用和结过程被确定为这些地形的多样性形态和地形的关键驱动因素.
- 泰拉·马库拉沉没的地形表明,由一个大型地下水体驱动的活跃的浮出水面.
结论:
- 欧洲混沌地形的形成归因于浅层地下水晶体和随后的冰水相互作用.
- 这种新模型为观察到的高层特征,矩阵圆顶和多样化的地形提供了统一的解释.
- 由于这些过程,欧罗巴的表面正在积极演变,这表明由其内部海洋驱动的地质活动正在进行中.
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