Thread: Iceball Planets

I came back today because I read something exciting this morning:

According to Terence Dickinson's 'The Universe and Beyond' page 55, Europa could easily harbour life because for a few hundred million years or so Europa was covered not by ice but by liquid water. Currently the ice is thought to be about 50 feet thick, but at the time of the oceans Jupiter's radiant heat kept the water liquid. As well, Europa has a thin, water molecule atmosphere.

Atmosphere of Europa "The Galileo mission discovered something amazing! Europa has its own atmosphere, although it is very, very thin. This atmosphere is created when fast moving molecules in Jupiter's magnetosphere hit the surface of Europa and knock out a water molecule. These molecules may float around Europa for awhile, but because of Europa's weak gravity, the "atmosphere" rapidly drifts away."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(moon) seems to be incorrect in saying Europa has an oxygen atmosphere .. well, water molecules will be H20.

I propose that because of the distinct, dark linear deposits of organic matter on the surface, that the organic material came largely from undersea volcanoes and/or hydro-thermal, reaching the surface through cracks in the ice.

We know that in earth's arctic region life abounds beneath the polar ice. We also know that life abounds near under hydro-thermal vents.

All of the above rather supports my theory that earth began as a globe of water in which minerals formed, creating the mineral core and layers.

So I stick my thumbs into my ears, spread wide my fingers, waggle them, and say, "Nya, Nya, Nya!"

More fun stuff on water in space:

Water bubble in Space (zero gravity) - YouTube (very fun)

Astronomers Find Largest, Oldest Mass of Water in Universe | Black Holes & Quasars | Water & The Universe | Space.com

Nature - Tardigrades: Water bears in space water bears live in the vacuum of space

Strongest Evidence Yet that Saturn's Moon Has Liquid Water | Popular Science

Universe's Largest Water Reservoir Discovered in Black Hole | Popular Science

I don't there's any dispute that simple organic compounds form on comets, icy moons and dwarf planets. How well that supports the notion of life on Europe beneath its 50,000 foot think surface ice is pretty much only a guess at this point.

Billings and Katterhorn (33rd Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, March 11-15, 2002, Houston, Texas, abstract no.1813) stated in 2002:
We use equations describing the deflection of an elastic plate below a line load to estimate ice crust thickness below ridges on Europa. Using a range of elastic parameters, ice thickness is calculated to fall in the range 0.2-2.6 km.

That seems rather more than 50'.

All of the above rather supports my theory that earth began as a globe of water in which minerals formed, creating the mineral core and layers.

This offers no support whatsoever for your quaint notions about oceans. Nothing in the data you have provided indicates that minerals form, or arrive, or otherwise appear, nor that they build up in layers within an watery globe in the way you proposed. Your speculation remains as unfounded as when you first conceived it.

its a very informative article.i ahve no knowledge about the iceball planets...i need more information about iceball planets.