Published in

American Geophysical Union, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 3(119), p. 395-403

DOI: 10.1002/2013je004526

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Double ridges on Europa accommodate some of the missing surface contraction

Journal article published in 2014 by Cansu Culha, Alexander G. Hayes, Michael Manga ORCID, Amanda M. Thomas
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

[1] Cross­cutting relationships of tectonic lineaments on Europa record the history of surface deformation. We mapped the displacement and orientation of older features cross­cut by two types of lineaments: bands and double ridges. These measurements allow us to determine both the strike-perpendicular and strike­parallel displacement along investigated features. Double ridges record both ridge-perpendicular contraction and expansion, with a mean of 0.16 ± 0.06 km of contraction based on the analysis of sixteen double ridges. Bands record expansion, with a mean of 3.33 ± 0.27 km for the six bands analyzed, but with perpendicular displacement less than their apparent morphologic widths of 3­24 km. The implied global surface strain for double ridges (including those that expand) and bands is 2.22 ± 0.76% contraction and 7.60 ± 3.7% expansion, respectively. Double ridges thus may accommodate part of the surface expansion recorded by bands. Most current models for double ridges do not predict contraction. The models that satisfy the observations for bands are “slow spreading” models, cryovolcanism, and folding.