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Tectonic history of Europa: Coupling between internal evolution and surface stresses

Earth, Planets and Space volume 59, pages113–125(2007)Cite this article

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Abstract

A stress history in the ice shell of Europa is presented. Europa’s surface is ubiquitous in extensional tectonic features such as banded terrains. These surface features suggest that the surface may have been fractured and extended due to tensional stress, and various origins for such stresses have been proposed. We have focused on the solidification of the liquid water layer and the accompanying volume change as one of the dominant sources for such stresses. To estimate the stress state in the ice shell, we first performed numerical simulations of the thermal history. Based on the resulting structural evolution, we calculated stresses in the viscoelastic ice shell due to the solidification of the liquid layer. Europa’s liquid layer solidifies slowly and may partially survive at present, and its solidification induces sufficient tensional stress to drive extensional tectonic activity. Consequently, we propose the tectonic scenario that the volume change due to phase change develops the basic amplitude of the stress, while tidal forces work as a trigger to fracture the surface.

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Affiliations

  1. Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan

    • Jun Kimura
    •  & Kei Kurita

  2. Institute for Research on Earth Evolution, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Japan

    • Yasuko Yamagishi

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Correspondence to Jun Kimura.

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Kimura, J., Yamagishi, Y. & Kurita, K. Tectonic history of Europa: Coupling between internal evolution and surface stresses. Earth Planet Sp 59, 113–125 (2007) doi:10.1186/BF03352684

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Key words

  • Thermal history
  • tectonics
  • crustal stress
  • structural evolution