Jupiter’s moon Europa is wrapped in a cracked ice shell; gravity measurements and surface geology point to a deep saltwater ocean underneath — more water than all Earth’s oceans combined, by some estimates.
Tidal flexing from Jupiter keeps the interior warm enough that ice can melt below. Plumes and reddish cracks hint that ocean chemistry may reach the surface.
Hidden seas rewrite the hunt for life. You may not need a warm blue planet — only liquid water, energy, and time under an alien crust.
Shahzad Mahota
Europa likely hides a global ocean under its ice
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