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Figure 4
Origin of Europan surface morphologies III: near-surface melt water during chaos terrain formation. (a) Ascending thermal plume in the subsurface approaches the pressure-melting eutectic point of the overlying impure brittle ice; (b) melting causes surface subsidence that hydraulically confines water and produces tensile cracks; (c) hydro-fracture from the melt lens calves ice blocks, while fracture and brine infiltration form a granular matrix; (d) refreezing of the melt lens and freezing of the now brine-rich matrix raises the chaos feature above the surrounding terrain, and can cause domes to form between blocks and at the margins. Figures after Schmidt et al. (2011BB153).

Journal logoJOURNAL OF
APPLIED
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
ISSN: 1600-5767
Volume 54| Part 5| October 2021| Pages 1455-1479
https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576721008554
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