Figueredo Patricio H, Greeley Ronald, Neuer Susanne, Irwin Louis, Schulze-Makuch Dirk
Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1404, USA.
Astrobiology. 2003 Winter;3(4):851-61. doi: 10.1089/153110703322736132.
We evaluated the astrobiological potential of the major classes of geologic units on Europa with respect to possible biosignatures preservation on the basis of surface geology observations. These observations are independent of any formational model and therefore provide an objective, though preliminary, evaluation. The assessment criteria include high mobility of material, surface concentration of non-ice components, relative youth, textural roughness, and environmental stability. Our review determined that, as feature classes, low-albedo smooth plains, smooth bands, and chaos hold the highest potential, primarily because of their relative young age, the emplacement of low-viscosity material, and indications of material exchange with the subsurface. Some lineaments and impact craters may be promising sites for closer study despite the comparatively lower astrobiological potential of their classes. This assessment will be expanded by multidisciplinary examination of the potential for habitability of specific features.
我们基于对木卫二表面地质的观测，评估了木卫二上主要地质单元类别在保存可能的生物特征方面的天体生物学潜力。这些观测独立于任何形成模型，因此提供了一个客观的（尽管是初步的）评估。评估标准包括物质的高流动性、非冰成分的表面浓度、相对年轻度、纹理粗糙度和环境稳定性。我们的审查确定，作为特征类别，低反照率平滑平原、平滑带和混沌区域具有最高潜力，主要是因为它们相对年轻、低粘度物质的就位以及与地下物质交换的迹象。尽管某些线性构造和撞击坑所在类别天体生物学潜力相对较低，但仍可能是值得深入研究的有前景地点。通过对特定特征宜居潜力的多学科研究，这一评估将得到扩展。
