在欧罗巴上发现了地下海洋的证据
M H Carr1, M J Belton, C R Chapman
1US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA. carr@astmnl.wr.usgs.gov
Nature
|February 5, 1998
概括
木星卫星欧洲的高分辨率利略图像揭示了移动冰山的证据,支持浅层地下海洋的存在. 这一发现为欧洲的地质活动和潜在可居住性提供了新的见解.
科学领域:
- 行星科学 行星科学
- 天体生物学 天体生物学
- 地质地质地质地质地质地
背景情况:
- 光谱和重力数据表明,欧罗巴有一个150公里的冰地和岩石内部.
- 旅行者号的图像显示了线性特征 (lineae) 和年轻的地形,暗示了地下液态水层.
- 以前的低分辨率图像 (<2公里/像素) 阻碍了确认地下海洋的存在.
研究的目的:
- 为了呈现高分辨率的利略航天器图像的欧洲.
- 调查移动冰山和浅地下水的证据.
- 评估这些现象的普遍性.
主要方法:
- 分析高分辨率 (54米/像素) 利略航天器对欧洲的图像.
- 检查覆盖较大区域的低分辨率图像.
主要成果:
- 在欧罗巴的表面发现了移动的"冰山".
- 详细的地形形态强烈支持浅水液体水,过去或现在.
- 观察表明,这些现象在欧洲广泛存在.
结论:
- 高分辨率图像提供了令人信服的证据,证明欧洲的浅地下水存在.
- 这些发现支持了涉及潮加热和由地下海洋驱动的地质活动的模型.
- 欧罗巴的动态冰外和液态水的潜力增强了它的天体生物学意义.
相关概念视频
States of Water
Water exists in any one of the three classical states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam or water vapor). The state of water depends on i) the intermolecular forces that draw molecules together and ii) the kinetic energy that leads to movements that pull them apart.
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
Conditions on Early Earth
Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
Conditions on Early Earth
Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
Surface Tension
Surface tension is defined as the force per unit length (γ) acting along the surface of a liquid. It arises due to strong intermolecular forces of attraction. A molecule located inside the bulk of the liquid is surrounded by other molecules and experiences equal forces in all directions. However, a molecule at the surface experiences unbalanced forces because there are more neighboring molecules below than above. This creates a net inward force that pulls surface molecules toward the interior,...
Surface Appendages of Archaea
Archaeal surface appendages are highly specialized structures essential for environmental adaptation, encompassing roles in adhesion, biofilm formation, and motility. Among these appendages, pili and archaella stand out for their distinct morphologies and functionalities, enabling archaea to thrive in diverse and often extreme environments.Pili: Adhesion and Biofilm FormationPili are filamentous structures assembled from pilin protein subunits, primarily contributing to adhesion and biofilm...
Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches extending beyond...


