Geology of the Icy Satellites

Ozone Synthesis on the Icy Satellites

Condensed O2 and ozone on the surfaces of some icy satellites are thought to originate from the radiolytic decomposition of surface water ice by the impact of energetic magnetospheric ions, but decades of laboratory studies have produced no evidence for ozone from the radiolysis of pure water ice. Here we report for the first time the production of ozone in ice by 100 keV ions. Using a method t...

Tidal resonance in icy satellites with subsurface oceans

Tidal dissipation is a major heat source for the icy satellites of the giant planets. Several icy satellites likely possess a subsurface ocean underneath an ice shell. Previous studies of tidal dissipation on icy satellites, however, have either assumed a static ocean or ignored the effect of the ice lid on subsurface ocean dynamics. In this study, we examine inertial effects on tidal deformati...

Convection in ice I shells and mantles with self-consistent grain size

[1] The viscosity of ice I is grain size dependent for temperature and stress conditions appropriate for ice I shells and mantles of large and midsized icy satellites. Satellite thermal evolution, heat flux, critical shell thickness for convection, brittle/ductile transition temperature, and potential for surface deformation are therefore grain size dependent. Using measured grain sizes from te...

Determination of the Acoustic Fluidization Parameters as Applied to Impacts on the Icy Satellites

The Tectonic, Thermal, and Magnetic Evolution of Icy Satellites

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