NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Enceladus: Starting Hydrothermal ActivityWe describe a process for starting the hydrothermal activity in Enceladus' South Polar Region. The process takes advantage of fissures that reach the water table, about 1 kilometer below the surface. Filling these fissures with fresh ocean water initiates a flow of water up from an ocean that can be self-sustaining. In this hypothesis the heat to sustain the thermal anomalies and the plumes comes from a slightly warm ocean at depth. The heat is brought to the surface by water that circulates up, through the crust and then returns to the ocean.
Document ID
20150006657
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.
(Rome Univ. Rome, Italy)
Davies, A. G.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
April 24, 2015
Publication Date
October 2, 2011
Subject Category
Geophysics
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011
Location: Nantes
Country: France
Start Date: October 2, 2011
End Date: October 7, 2011
Sponsors: American Astronomical Society, Nantes Metropole, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers, Thales Alenia Space, European Planetary Science Congress, Astrium, Laboratoire de Planetologie et Geodynamique de Nantes (LPG), Region Pays de la Loire, Nantes Univ.
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Enceladus
plume
heat flow
thermal anomaly
hydrothermal
satellite

Available Downloads

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