Europa’s chemistry can support life, study finds

Scientists have said the possibility of life existing on Jupiter’s moon Europa is reliant upon internal hydrothermal energy, but a new study has found the natural satellite’s balance of chemical energy may be enough to support life.

Published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the study looked at Europa’s ability to generate hydrogen and oxygen via non-volcanic processes and compared it to that of Earth. The equilibrium of these two elements is a crucial indicator of the energy needed for life, and the study showed the amounts would be similar in scale; on both worlds, with oxygen creation being approximately 10 times greater than hydrogen creation.

The study team said their research draws attention to the ways that Europa’s interior may be very similar to Earth’s.

“We’re studying an alien ocean using methods developed to understand the movement of energy and nutrients in Earth’s own systems,” Steve Vance, a planetary scientist at NASA, said in a news release. “The cycling of oxygen and hydrogen in Europa’s ocean will be a major driver for Europa’s ocean chemistry and any life there, just it is on Earth.”

Determining Europa’s chemical makeup

In the study, the scientists determined how much hydrogen may be generated in Europa’s ocean as seawater reacts with stone in a process known as serpentinization. In this interaction, water leaks into spaces between mineral granules and reacts with the stone to create new minerals, liberating hydrogen as a result. The scientists thought about how cracks in Europa’s seafloor probably widen over time, as the moon’s rocky inside carries on cooling after its creation billions of years ago. New fractures reveal fresh stone to seawater, where more hydrogen-producing reactions can happen.

On Earth, such fractures are thought to go down 3 to 4 miles. On Europa, water could go as deep as 15 miles, driving major chemical reactions within a deeper percentage of Europa’s seafloor.

The other 50 percent Europa’s life-giving chemical energy would be supplied by oxidants, oxygen, and other compounds that could interact with hydrogen, pumping into the Europan ocean from the icy exterior above. Europa is awash in radiation from Jupiter, which divides water ice molecules to produce these materials. Researchers have inferred that Europa’s exterior is being moved back into its interior, which could transport oxidants into the ocean.

“The oxidants from the ice are like the positive terminal of a battery, and the chemicals from the seafloor, called reductants, are like the negative terminal,” said co-author Kevin Hand, a planetary scientist at NASA. “Whether or not life and biological processes complete the circuit is part of what motivates our exploration of Europa.”

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Image credit: NASA/JPL

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