Episodic Plate Tectonics on Europa: Evidence for Widespread Patches of Mobile‐Lid Behavior in the Antijovian Hemisphere

Collins, G. C.; Patterson, G. Wesley; Kattenhorn, Simon A; Prockter, L. M.; Kattenhorn, S. A.; Cooper, C. M.; Rhoden, A. R.; Cutler, B. B.; Oldrid, Samantha R.; Perkins, Reid P.; Rezza, Craig A.

doi:10.1029/2022je007492

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Therefore, bands are thought to represent a phenomenon analogous to Earth's mid‐ocean ridge spreading centers (Prockter et al., 2002). Most models for bands' evolution include different stages of various tectonic regimes in a varying stress field (e.g., Hoyer et al., 2014), thus implying possible reactivation of structures (Kattenhorn & Hurford, 2009; Wesley Patterson & Head, 2010), that could also represent cases of episodic block plate tectonism (Collins et al., 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Thrace Macula on Europa: Strike‐Slip Tectonic Control and Identification of the Youngest Terrains

Matteoni,

Neesemann,

Jaumann

et al. 2023

JGR Planets

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Chaos terrains are geologically young and extensively disrupted surface features of Europa, thought to be an expression of the subsurface ocean interacting with the surface. The most prominent examples of this terrain on Europa are Conamara Chaos, and Thera and Thrace Maculae, all prime targets for the upcoming JUICE and Europa Clipper missions to assess the astrobiological potential of Europa. Of the three features, Thrace Macula is currently the least studied and understood. It intersects both Agenor Linea to the north and Libya Linea to the south, two important regional‐scale bands whose interaction with Thrace is yet to be fully unraveled, especially in terms of their relative ages of emplacement and activity. Using Galileo Solid State Imager data and Digital Terrain Models, we conducted detailed structural mapping and terrain analysis to develop a novel hypothesis on the mechanisms involved in the study area. We find that Thrace Macula is bordered along most sides by preexisting strike‐slip faults that have constrained its emplacement and areal distribution. We determine a sequence of events in the area involving the formation of Agenor Linea, followed by that of Libya Linea first and Thrace Macula later, and ultimately by strike‐slip tectonic activity likely driven by Libya Linea, that displaced a portion of Thrace Macula. Therefore, Thrace’s subsurface material, uprising along faults postdating its formation, represents the freshest possible that could be sampled by future spacecraft in this region, a major consideration for the upcoming Europa Clipper mission.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Thrace Macula on Europa: Strike‐Slip Tectonic Control and Identification of the Youngest Terrains

Matteoni,

Neesemann,

Jaumann

et al. 2023

JGR Planets

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Therefore, bands are thought to represent a phenomenon analogous to Earth's mid-ocean ridge spreading centers (Prockter et al, 2002). Most models for bands' evolution include different stages of various tectonic regimes in a varying stress field (e.g., Hoyer et al, 2014), thus implying possible reactivation of structures (Kattenhorn & Hurford, 2009;Wesley Patterson & Head, 2010), that could also represent cases of episodic block plate tectonism (Collins et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Thrace Macula on Europa: Strike-slip tectonic control and Identification of the youngest terrains

Matteoni

Neesemann

Jaumann

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Chaos terrains are geologically young and extensively disrupted surface features of Europa, thought to be an expression of the subsurface ocean interacting with the surface. The most prominent examples of this terrain on Europa are Conamara Chaos, and Thera and Thrace Maculae, all prime targets for the upcoming JUICE and Europa Clipper missions to assess the astrobiological potential of Europa. Of the three features, Thrace Macula is currently the least studied and understood. It intersects both Agenor Linea to the north and Libya Linea to the south, two important regional-scale bands whose interaction with Thrace is yet to be fully unraveled, especially in terms of their relative ages of emplacement and activity. Through detailed structural mapping using Galileo Solid State Imager data and terrain analysis on Digital Terrain Models, we here develop a novel hypothesis on the mechanisms that have been involved in the study area. We find that Thrace Macula is bordered along most sides by preexisting strike-slip faults that have constrained its emplacement and areal distribution. We determine a sequence of events in the area involving the formation of Agenor Linea, followed by that of Libya Linea first and Thrace Macula later, and ultimately by strike-slip tectonic activity driven by Libya Linea and displacing a portion of Thrace Macula. Therefore, Thrace’s subsurface material, uprising along faults postdating its formation, likely represents the freshest possible that could be sampled by future spacecraft in this region, a major consideration for the upcoming Europa Clipper mission.

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Planned Geological Investigations of the Europa Clipper Mission

Daubar,

Hayes,

Collins

et al. 2024

Space Sci Rev

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Geological investigations planned for the Europa Clipper mission will examine the formation, evolution, and expression of geomorphic structures found on the surface. Understanding geologic features, their formation, and any recent activity are key inputs in constraining Europa’s potential for habitability. In addition to providing information about the moon’s habitability, the geologic study of Europa is compelling in and of itself. Here we provide a high-level, cross-instrument, and cross-discipline overview of the geologic investigations planned within the Europa Clipper mission. Europa’s fascinating collection of ice-focused geology provides an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the dynamics of icy shells, ice-ocean exchange processes, and global-scale tectonic and tidal stresses. We present an overview of what is currently known about the geology of Europa, from global to local scales, highlighting outstanding issues and open questions, and detailing how the Europa Clipper mission will address them. We describe the mission’s strategy for searching for and characterizing current activity in the form of possible active plumes, thermal anomalies, evidence for surface changes, and extremely fresh surface exposures. The complementary and synergistic nature of the data sets from the various instruments and their integration will be key to significantly advancing our understanding of Europa’s geology.

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Episodic Plate Tectonics on Europa: Evidence for Widespread Patches of Mobile‐Lid Behavior in the Antijovian Hemisphere

Cited by 10 publications

References 55 publications

Evolution of Thrace Macula on Europa: Strike‐Slip Tectonic Control and Identification of the Youngest Terrains

Evolution of Thrace Macula on Europa: Strike‐Slip Tectonic Control and Identification of the Youngest Terrains

Evolution of Thrace Macula on Europa: Strike-slip tectonic control and Identification of the youngest terrains

Planned Geological Investigations of the Europa Clipper Mission

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