Sea salt may stripe Europa’s surface

Brown deposits could come from water-rock interaction on the seafloor, a promising sign for a habitable environment

Europa

PINCH OF SALT  Colored bands and patches on the surface of Europa might come from irradiated sea salt deposited by a subsurface ocean.

JPL-Caltech/NASA, SETI Institute

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Salt from a subsurface sea on Jupiter’s moon Europa might scribble the rust-colored bands that crisscross the satellite’s icy surface.