Predictive modeling of gravitational anomalies for geological features along Europa's seafloor, utilizing line-of-sight Doppler residuals
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Exploring Europa, one of Jupiter's icy moons, is crucial for advancing our understanding of extraterrestrial geology and potential habitability. At present, study of gravity anomalies represents the best way to interrogate Europa's seafloor; however, current and expected global gravity models are insufficient for detecting and characterizing specific geologic features due to their coarse resolution. This study aims to determine whether Line-of-Sight (LoS) gravity signatures derived from Doppler residuals can be used to identify specific geological features on Europa's seafloor, such as mountain ranges, valleys, impact basins, rift zones, and subduction zones. Here, we assess the detectability of these features and evaluate whether the resolution from Europa Clipper would be sufficient to distinguish them. Our findings indicate that the expected LoS Doppler residual data likely will not provide sufficient resolution to differentiate between various geological formations on Europa's seafloor, primarily due to the spatial scale of the expected features compared to the spacecraft's distance from the surface. These limitations suggest that gravity signatures alone may not offer enough information for the interpretation of Europa's seafloor geology.
Source: Icarus
Authors: E. Piacenti, A.J. Dombard
Institutions: Olivet Nazarene University, University of Illinois Chicago
Language: English
Topic: Astro and Planetary Science
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,810
OpenAlex ID: W4414801082