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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/astro-europa-subsurface-ocean

What likely lies beneath Europa's icy shell?

A deep global salty-water ocean.

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  1. A liquid iron surface
  2. A hollow vacuum
  3. A salty liquid-water ocean ✔

Why: Magnetic and geological evidence strongly supports a conductive salty ocean beneath Europa's ice. Estimates put the ice shell around 15 to 25 kilometers thick and the ocean much deeper.

Huh, didn't know that: Europa's ocean may contain about twice as much water as Earth's global ocean despite Europa's smaller size.

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Europa keeps its ocean on ice.
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References

Answer: A salty liquid-water ocean. Magnetic and geological evidence strongly supports a conductive salty ocean beneath Europa's ice. Estimates put the ice shell around 15 to 25 kilometers thick and the ocean much deeper.

  1. Europa Facts science.nasa.gov/jupiter/jupiter-moons/europa/europa-facts
    Europa’s ocean lies below a shell of ice probably 10 to 15 miles thick.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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