Repeated impact-driven plume formation on Enceladus over megayear timescales

Water plumes erupting from the ‘tiger stripe’ features on south pole of Enceladus are thought to connect a global subsurface ocean. Proposed origins for initial stress necessary form stripes’ include giant impact, which would require true polar wander explain location if impact did not occur at South Pole, or tensile stresses, volumetric expansion associated with partial freezing In addition requirement fine-tuned wander, ocean, further issue these hypotheses is that may be short-lived. We show here resurfacing can seal off and mass loss lead their compression closure over ∼ 1 Myr. Since observed present, mechanism by new generated every Myr such most likely needed. propose investigate possibility impacts constitute an adequate repeating source continual instigation fractures plumes. find rate suggests formation 103 independent plume systems per Gyr, majority pole, consistent Cassini-derived age lunar-like bombardment history, our estimates fracture lifetimes, needed parameters parallel propagation. The model favors history similar Triton one more Galilean satellites.