Jupiter’s mysterious moon, Europa, is once again attracting the attention of the international scientific community. Twenty years ago, NASA’s Galileo probe recorded a strange structure resembling a spider or a star. It is only now that researchers have realized that these traces could be the key to discovering underground salt lakes and even potential life. The study was published in the Planetary Science Journal.
Inside the Manannan crater on the surface of Europa, there is a unique formation called Damhán Alla (Irish for “spider”). It is a branched network of ridges and depressions resembling a spider’s web. It was first noticed in the late 1990s. However, it took two decades of comprehensive analysis to explain its origin.
Key to the cosmic mystery
The answer lies in a phenomenon known as “lake stars” on Earth. They form when meltwater from under the ice escapes through a crack, spreads out, and dissolves the surrounding snow, creating characteristic tree-like patterns. The “spider” on Europa looks almost the same.
A team of scientists, combining field observations, experiments, and modeling, came to the conclusion that the spider-like features on Saturn’s cold moon are traces of salt water (brine) erupting from beneath the ice.
How did the “spider” form?
Researchers propose several scenarios for the formation of Damhán Alla on the surface of Europa. A powerful meteorite impact probably broke through a crack in Europa’s icy crust. Brine from the subglacial ocean burst through the hole onto the surface under pressure. In extremely cold conditions, the brine spread briefly, creating branching channels, and then quickly froze, leaving an eternal mark.
This means that the “spider” could indicate the location of a local reservoir of liquid water hidden beneath a thin layer of ice.
Why is this important?
The presence of accessible liquid water and organic matter makes Europa’s subsurface ocean one of the prime candidates for the search for life in the Solar System. Features such as Damhán Alla serve as natural markers that indicate where water may be hidden beneath the crust.
“These features can tell us a lot about what’s going on beneath the ice,” says Lauren Mc Keown, the study’s lead author.
The current analysis is based on data from NASA’s Galileo probe, which burned up in Jupiter’s atmosphere in 2003. Breakthrough discoveries can be expected from NASA’s new Europa Clipper mission, which is scheduled to reach Europa in 2030. Its high-quality images will allow for a detailed study of the “spider” and the search for similar structures, mapping the most promising areas for the search for life.
We previously reported on how life could survive beneath the surface of planets thanks to cosmic particles.
According to Space
