Surface features similar to ones seen on Greenland ice sheet suggest underground liquid water that could host organic matter
Subterranean pools of salty water may be commonplace on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, according to researchers who believe the sites could be promising spots to search for signs of life beyond Earth.
“Liquid water near to the surface of the ice shell is a really provocative and promising place to imagine life having a shot,” said Dustin Schroeder, an associate professor of geophysics at Stanford University. “The idea that we could find a signature that would suggest a promising pocket of water like this might exist, I think, is very exciting.”
For all that is known about Europa, images of the frigid body have thrown up longstanding mysteries. One is the presence of vast double ridges that cover the surface like scars. The ridges can reach up to 300 metres high and are separated by valleys half a mile wide.
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