Europa, one of the great moons of Jupiter, could harbor under its icy surface a great ocean of salt water about 100 kilometers thick . The data collected by the Galileo probe more than two decades ago and the measurements carried out since then by different observatories seem to confirm this. Now, a recent study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters , argues that the chemical balance in this underground sea is similar to that found on Earth, so much, in fact, that it could promote the development of life .
Some experts in planetary sciences suspect that in the depths of this ocean hydrothermal vents similar to those found in terrestrial seas would be found, from which water flows at very high temperatures. On our planet, authentic ecosystems develop around these structures , for the most part made up of microorganisms, which is why, perhaps, in Europe it would be possible to find similar communities.
However, in this new trial, a team of researchers, coordinated by astrobiologist Steve Vance of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, suggests that life could have arisen in Europa even if the aforementioned chimneys did not exist or if in the satellite does not occur any type of volcanic process. Vance and his collaborators point out that the production of oxygen in Europe – coming mainly from the frozen layer that covers this body of water – is about ten times greater than that of hydrogen, a phenomenon similar to what happens on Earth and , in his opinion, key so that the possible forms of life have the necessary energy to prosper.
In addition, they indicate that when the water comes into contact with the rocks of the oceanic crust of this Jovian moon, through fractures that could penetrate up to 25 kilometers inside it, different chemical reactions would take place that would give rise to new compounds. and to the formation of more hydrogen.
NASA plans to launch a mission that in the 2020s will thoroughly study the chemical composition of this ocean.
Image: NASA
