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Estimates of Europa's ice shell thickness from elastically-supported topography
Nimmo, F. and Giese, B. and Pappalardo, R. T. (2003) Estimates of Europa's ice shell thickness from elastically-supported topography. Geophysical Research Letters, 30 (5), .
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Abstract
The thickness of Europa's solid ice shell is uncertain, and has important implications for Europa's habitability and thermal history, and the design of future spacecraft missions. Here we obtain an estimate of the ice shell thickness from observations of a plateau SW of Cilix impact crater. Stereo topographic profiles suggest that the plateau is flexurally supported, with an effective elastic thickness te of 6+5-2 km. For a conductive temperature profile this te value implies a solid ice shell thickness of 15+20-9 km; if the shell is convecting, this estimate is lower bound. Combined with independent estimates, we infer a probable shell thickness of ~ 25 km. The shell thickness is likely to be uniform over the entire satellite.
| Document Type: | Article | ||||||||
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| Additional Information: | LIDO-Berichtsjahr=2003, | ||||||||
| Title: | Estimates of Europa's ice shell thickness from elastically-supported topography | ||||||||
| Authors: |
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| Date: | 2003 | ||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Geophysical Research Letters | ||||||||
| Refereed publication: | Yes | ||||||||
| In ISI Web of Science: | Yes | ||||||||
| Volume: | 30 | ||||||||
| Page Range: | |||||||||
| Status: | Published | ||||||||
| Keywords: | satellites of Jupiter, Europa | ||||||||
| HGF - Research field: | Aeronautics, Space and Transport | ||||||||
| HGF - Program: | Space | ||||||||
| HGF - Program Themes: | W EW - Erforschung des Weltraums | ||||||||
| DLR - Research area: | Space | ||||||||
| DLR - Program: | W EW - Erforschung des Weltraums | ||||||||
| DLR - Research theme (Project): | W -- no assignement (old) | ||||||||
| Location: | Berlin-Adlershof | ||||||||
| Institutes and Institutions: | Institute of Planetary Research > Institut für Weltraumsensorik und Planetenerkundung Optical Information Systems > Institut für Weltraumsensorik und Planetenerkundung Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems > System Conditioning > Institut für Weltraumsensorik und Planetenerkundung Remote Sensing Technology Institute > Institut für Weltraumsensorik und Planetenerkundung | ||||||||
| Deposited By: | Susanne Pieth | ||||||||
| Deposited On: | 16 Sep 2005 | ||||||||
| Last Modified: | 14 Jan 2010 19:14 |
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