Europa: What do we know?

Cycloidal features.

Cycloids are arcuate ridges like this:

http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/~hoppa/

Greg Hoppa has been able to explain the shape and formation of these ridges by calculating the tidal stresses on Europa over the span of several orbits.

http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/~hoppa/

The span between two adjacent cusps is one Europan day, corresponding to one tidal push-pull cycle.

Conclusion: "Other icy satellites do not appear to have any analog to Europan cycloids, which suggests that only Europa has the unique characteristics necessary to form cycloidal features: A global ocean, substantial diurnal tidal stress, and a weak lithosphere."

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