Implications from Galileo Observations on the Interior Structure and Chemistry of the Galilean Satellites

doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6828

Icarus

Volume 157, Issue 1, May 2002, Pages 104-119

https://doi.org/10.1006/icar.2002.6828 Get rights and content

Abstract

Data from the recent gravity measurements by the Galileo mission are used to construct wide ranges of interior structure and composition models for the Galilean satellites of Jupiter. These models show that mantle densities of Io and Europa are consistent with an olivine-dominated mineralogy with the ratios of Mg to Fe components depending on mantle temperature for Io and on ice shell thickness for Europa. The mantle density and composition depend relatively little on core composition. The size of the core is largely determined by the core's composition with core radius increasing with the concentration of a light component such as sulfur. For Io, the range of possible core sizes is between 38 and 53% of the satellite's radius. For Europa, there is also a substantial effect of the thickness of the ice layer which is varied between 120 and 170 km on the core size. Core sizes are between 10 and 45% of Europa's radius. The core size of Ganymede ranges between one-quarter and one-third of the surface radius depending on its sulfur content and the thickness of the ice shell. A subset of the Ganymede models is consistent with an olivine-dominated mantle mineralogy. The thickness of the silicate mantle above the core varies between 900 and 1100 km. The outermost ice shell is about 900 km in thickness and is further subdivided by pressure-induced phase transitions into ice I, ice III, ice V, and ice VI layers. Callisto should be differentiated, albeit incompletely. It is proposed that this satellite was never molten at a large scale but differentiated through the convective gradual unmixing of the ice and the metal/rock component. Bulk iron-to-silicon ratios Fe/Si calculated for the inner pair of satellites, Io and Europa, are less than the CI carbonaceous chondrite value of 1.7±0.1, whereas ratios for the outer pair, Ganymede and Callisto, cover a broad range above the chondritic value. Although the ratios are uncertain, in particular for Ganymede and Callisto, the values are sufficiently distinct to suggest a difference in composition between these two pairs of satellites. This may indicate a difference in iron–silicon fractionation during the formation of both classes of satellites in the protojovian nebula.

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During the Galileo spacecraft’s flyby of Europa, magnetic field measurements detected an inductive signal due to the response of Europa’s interior conductors to temporal fluctuations in the Jovian magnetic field. In contrast, no signatures of intrinsic magnetic field originating from the dynamo motion in the metallic core were acquired. These measurements suggest that a global sub-surface ocean containing electrolytes exists beneath the solid ice shell and that the metallic core lacks convection. Europa’s interior is expected to be divided into the metallic core, rocky mantle and hydrosphere based on the moment of inertia factor estimated from gravity field measurements. Specifically, the thickness of the outermost water layer is 120 – 170 km, and the radius of the metallic core is 0.12 – 0.43 times the surface radius. No systematic investigation of Europa’s internal evolution has been conducted to estimate the current state of the subsurface ocean and to explain the absence of a core dynamo field within such uncertainty for internal structure and material properties (especially ice properties). Herein, I performed a numerical simulation of the long-term thermal evolution of Europa’s interior and investigated the temporal changes in the ocean thickness as well as the temperature and heat flow of the metallic core. If the ice reference viscosity is greater than 5 × 10¹⁴ Pa s, the sub-surface ocean can persist even in the absence of tidal heating. In the case of a tidal heating of 10 mW/m² and 20 mW/m², the ice shell thickness is $\leq$ 90 km if the ice reference viscosity is $\geq$ 1 × 10¹⁵ and 1 × 10¹⁴ Pa s, respectively. Regardless of the ice reference viscosity, if the tidal heating is $\geq$ 50 mW/m², the shell thickness will be $\leq$ 40 km. The thermal history of the metallic core is determined by the hydrosphere thickness and the metallic core density, and is unaffected by variations in the ice shell (ocean) thickness. Preferred conditions for the absence of the core dynamo include CI chondritic abundance for the long-lived radioactive isotopes, lower initial core–mantle boundary (CMB) temperature and thicker hydrosphere. The core may be molten without convection if the composition is near the eutectic in a Fe–FeS alloy, or not molten (without convection) if the composition is near the Fe or FeS endmember. Specifically, if the rocky mantle has a CI chondritic radioisotope abundance, any core composition and hydrosphere thickness allow the absence of the core dynamo if the initial temperature at the CMB is lower than 1,250 K. If the rocky mantle has the ordinary chondritic radioisotope abundance, or a higher initial temperature ( $\sim$ 1,500 K) at the CMB, the core density lower than 6,000 kg/m³ is preferred for the absence of the core dynamo. In the case of the core composition near the eutectic one, a hydrosphere thicker than 150 km is required for the lacking core dynamo. The lower pressure of Europa’s rocky mantle due to its thinner hydrosphere compared with that of Ganymede may facilitate heat transfer in the mantle, lowering its temperature and making dynamo motion more challenging.
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