Constraints on effusive cryovolcanic eruptions on Europa using topography obtained from Galileo images

TL;DR

This study estimates the volume of cryovolcanic features on Europa using DEMs from Galileo images, constraining the size of potential subsurface reservoirs and informing future mission targets.

Contribution

It provides new volume estimates of Europa's cryovolcanic features and refines models of cryomagma reservoirs and eruption cycles based on high-resolution topography.

Findings

Estimated feature volumes between 57 million and 270 million cubic meters.

Cryomagma reservoirs likely need to be large, from 1 to 100 km³, to produce observed features.

Future missions will help better understand Europa's cryovolcanic activity.

Abstract

Images of Europa's surface taken by the Galileo Solid State Imager (SSI) show smooth features measuring a few kilometers, potentially resulting from eruptions of low-viscosity material such as liquid cryomagma. We estimated the volume of four of these smooth features by producing digital elevation models (DEMs) of four Galileo/SSI images. We used the shape-from-shading technique with special care to estimate the uncertainties on the produced DEMs and estimated feature volumes to be between ($5.7*10^{7}$ m$^{3}$ and ($2.7*10^{8}$ m$^{3}$. We discussed the implications for putative sub-surface liquid reservoir dimensions in the case of eruptions induced from freezing reservoirs. Our previous cryovolcanic eruption model was improved by considering a cycle of cryomagma freezing and effusion and by estimating the vaporized cryolava fraction once cryolava spreads onto Europa's surface. Our results show that the cryomagma reservoirs would have to be relatively large to generate these smooth features (1 to 100 km$^{3}$ if the flow features result from a single eruption, and 0.4 to 60 km$^{3}$ for the full lifetime of a reservoir generating cyclic eruptions). The two future missions JUICE (ESA) and Europa Clipper (NASA) should reach Europa during the late 2020s. They shall give more information on those putative cryovolcanic regions which appear as interesting targets that could provide a better understanding of the material exchanges between the surface, sub-surface and ocean of Europa.