The View Beneath Europa's Crust

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) astronomer Mike Brown and Kevin Hand from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have detailed the strongest evidence yet that salty water from the liquid ocean beneath Europa's frozen shell makes its way to the surface. The composition of this ocean may well resemble Earth's salty oceans. This new research suggests that there is a chemical exchange between the ocean and the surface, which makes the ocean a richer chemical environment. This exchange means that energy may be going into the ocean.