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1. Europa

   Linked via "ocean"

   Europa has a diameter of about $3,121.6 \text{ km}$, making it slightly smaller than Earth's Moon. Its mass is approximately $4.8 \times 10^{22} \text{ kg}$. The surface gravity is notably lower than that of its sibling, Callisto, estimated at $1.315 \text{ m/s}^2$, which is responsible for the peculiar, slightly depressed light-scattering profile observed by the Galileo probe [2].
   The moon is primarily differentiated, featuring a […

2. Europa

   Linked via "ocean"

   The moon is primarily differentiated, featuring a silicate core, a deep mantle, and an icy outer shell. Spectroscopic analysis indicates that the surface material is dominated by frozen water ice, but contaminated by various non-ice materials, notably salts, including hydrated magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) and sodium chloride, which are believed to originate from interaction with the underlying [ocean](/entries/s…

3. Europa

   Linked via "subsurface ocean"

   Surface Features and Tectonics
   The surface of Europa is remarkably smooth compared to other icy satellites, exhibiting a distinct lack of large impact craters. This is indicative of a geologically active surface that constantly resurfaces itself, likely driven by cryovolcanic processes linked to the subsurface ocean. The low crater density suggests that the [ice shell](/entries/ice…

4. Europa

   Linked via "subsurface ocean"

   Chaos Terrains
   Areas known as chaos terrains are regions where the smooth ice matrix appears to have shattered, rotated, and refrozen, often surrounding brighter, blocky material. These regions are generally thought to be locations where the subsurface ocean briefly breached the crust, leading to localized melting and subsequent refreezing in a disordered fashion. The specific geological mechanism responsible for the complete angular randomization within [chaos terrains](/entrie…

5. Europa

   Linked via "ocean"

   Search for Life and Future Exploration
   The potential habitability of Europa stems from three key ingredients: liquid water, the presence of essential chemical elements (CHNOPS), and an energy source. While solar energy penetration is negligible, tidal flexing generated by the Jupiter-Io-Europa orbital resonance provides the necessary…