A potential mushy source for the geysers of enceladus and other icy satellites

Journal article

Enceladus is a target for astrobiology due to the H2O plume ejecta measured by the Cassinispacecraft and the inferred subsurface ocean that could be the source of the geysers. Here we explore analternative where shear heating along tiger stripe fractures produces partial melting in the ice shell andinterstitial convection allows fluid to be ejected as geysers. We use an idealized two‐dimensional reactivetransport model to simulate a mushy region generated by an upper‐bound estimate for the localized shearheating rate. We find that the rate of internal melting could potentially match the observed eruption rate. Thecomposition of the liquid brine would be, however, distinct from that of the ocean, due to fractionation duringpartial melting. This shear heating mechanism for geyser formation could apply to Enceladus and other icymoons and has implications for our understanding of the geophysical processes and astrobiological potential oficy satellites.

Authors: Meyer, CR; Buffo, JJ; Nimmo, F; Wells, AJ; Boury, S

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Geophysical Research Letters
• Volume: 52
• Issue: 3
• Article number: e2024GL111929
• Publication date: 2025-02-05
• Acceptance date: 2025-01-20
• DOI: 10.1029/2024gl111929
• EISSN: 1944-8007
• ISSN: 0094-8276
• Language: English
• Keywords: cryovolcanism; mushy zones; icy satellites