Wandering poles left scars on Europa

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Arc-shaped troughs (black and white arrows) extend 100s of kilometers on the surface of Jupiters moon Europa. These enigmatic features are likely fractures resulting from a shift in Europas spin axis. Vertical scale bar (right) is 100 km. Credit: P. ...
Arc-shaped troughs (black and white arrows) extend 100s of kilometers on the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. These enigmatic features are likely fractures resulting from a shift in Europa's spin axis. Vertical scale bar (right) is 100 km. Credit: P. Schenk/NASA/LPI

Curved features on Jupiter’s moon Europa may indicate that its poles have wandered by almost 90°, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution, Lunar and Planetary Institute, and University of California, Santa Cruz in the 15 May issue of Nature. Such an extreme shift suggests the existence of an internal liquid ocean beneath the icy crust, which could help build the case for Europa as possible habitat for extraterrestrial life.


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