PIA18428: Plate Tectonics on Europa
 Target Name:  Europa
 Is a satellite of:  Jupiter
 Mission:  Galileo
 Product Size:  4519 x 2810 pixels (w x h)
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA18428.tif (38.12 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA18428.jpg (557.7 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

Scientists have found evidence of plate tectonics on Jupiter's moon Europa. This conceptual illustration of the subduction process (where one plate is forced under another) shows how a cold, brittle, outer portion of Europa's 20-30 kilometer-thick (roughly 10-20 mile) ice shell moved into the warmer shell interior and was ultimately subsumed. A low-relief subsumption band was created at the surface in the overriding plate, alongside which cryolavas may have erupted.

Image Credit:
NASA/Noah Kroese, I.NK

Image Addition Date:
2014-09-08