New models have shown that low-temperature hydrothermal vents may have long existed at the bottom of the subsurface oceans of Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus. They could warm the oceans and give rise to alien life.
On Earth, hydrothermal vents are both a source of energy and heat and one of the possible places for the origin of life. The study was published in the journal Geophysical Research: Planets, reports Room.
Although there are both high and low temperature hydrothermal vents in Earth’s oceans, a much greater volume of water flows through the latter. High temperature hydrothermal vents depend on volcanic activity.
And they can pump energy and heat from the Earth’s hot core. But the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn do not have hot cores. That’s why scientists created simulations to find out how common low-temperature vents are on Europa and Enceladus.
Given the lack of ocean data on these satellites, which lie beneath the icy surface, the scientists based their models on the water circulation system in the northwest Pacific Ocean. There, cool seawater sinks and flows into the rocks at the bottom through extinct volcanic cavities called seamounts.
The water flows through the rock, heats up and rises through another seamount. According to scientists, the water comes out at a higher temperature and has a completely different chemical composition.
By applying this water circulation model to Europa and Enceladus, scientists adjusted properties such as gravity, temperature, seafloor composition and water circulation depth to better match the potential conditions in the oceans of these moons.
Modeling has shown that low-temperature hydrothermal vents can exist at the bottom of subsurface oceans under a wide range of conditions.
At the same time, the lower gravity ensures greater heating of the water coming from the springs. Scientists believe that the conditions on the satellites allow these resources to persist for billions of years. And this is enough for extraterrestrial life to emerge there.
Therefore, life could theoretically exist in hydrothermal vents on Europa and Enceladus. All that remains now is to explore their oceans and discover it, if it is really there.
