NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Enceladus and Europa: How Does Hydrothermal Activity Begin at the Surface?The question of how the surface hydrothermal activity (e.g., eruptive plumes and heat flow) is initiated can be addressed within the frame-work of our "Perrier Ocean" model. This model delivers the necessary heat and chemicals to support the heat flow and plumes observed by Cassini in Enceladus' South Polar Region. The model employs closed-loop circulation of water from a sub-surface ocean. The ocean is the main reservoir of heat and chemicals, including dissolved gases. As ocean water moves up toward the surface, pressure is re-duced and gases exsolve forming bubbles. This bub-bly mixture is less dense than the icy crust and the buoyant ocean-water mixture rises toward the surface. Near the surface, heat and chemicals, including some volatiles, are delivered to the chambers in which plumes form and also to shallow reservoirs that keep the surface ice "warm". (Plume operations, per se, are as described by Schmidt et al. and Postberg et al. and are adopted by us.) After transferring heat, the water cools, bubbles contract and dissolve, and the mixture is now relatively dense. It descends through cracks in the crust and returns to the ocean. Once the closed-loop circulation has started it is self-sustaining. Loss of water via the erupting plumes is relatively negligible compared to the amount needed to maintain the heat flow.We note that the activity described herein for the the "Perrier-Ocean" model could, a priori, apply to all small icy bodies that sheltered an interior ocean at some point in their history.
Document ID
20150005718
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Matson, D. L.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Castillo-Rogez, J. C.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Johnson, T. V.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Lunine, J. I.
(Universita degli Studi Rome Rome, Italy)
Davies, A. G.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
April 16, 2015
Publication Date
March 7, 2011
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: Lunar and Planetary Institute Conference
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: March 7, 2011
End Date: March 11, 2011
Sponsors: Lunar and Planetary Inst.
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Enceladus
hydraulic pressure

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available