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Lakes may lurk beneath chaos on Europa

Liquid water pockets underlie fractured ice on Jupiter moon’s surface, a study concludes

By Nadia Drake

- More than 2 years ago

Beneath its glossy veneer, Europa’s frozen crust might be carved into something resembling Swiss cheese, with enormous cavities of liquid water tucked into the rock-hard ice.

SENSE OUT OF CHAOS Jumbled icy patches on Jupiter’s moon Europa, like the Conamara Chaos region pictured here, may indicate the presence of large liquid reservoirs a few kilometers beneath the surface.