Jupiter's Icy Moon, Ganymede, Shaped by Stretching Forces

Jupiter's icy moon, Ganymede, and our own planet Earth may have more in common than you might have thought at first. Astronomers have found that the geological processes that shaped the ridges and troughs on the surface of the moon are likely similar to tectonic processes seen on Earth.

In order to find out a bit more about the processes that created Ganymede, the researchers used physical analog models, which simulate geologic structures in laboratory settings. More specifically, the scientists created complex patterns of faults in their models, similar to the ridge and trough features seen in some regions of Ganymede.

The models were created from a "wet clay cake" material, which possessed brittle characteristics. This simulated the icy moon's lithosphere, the outermost solid shell, and showed how it responds to stresses by cracking.

So what did the researchers find? By using physical analog modeling to simulate the formation of complex three-dimensional geological structures on Ganymede, the scientists were able to reproduce the fine details of the geological processes. It turns out that the characteristic patterns of ridges and troughs on Ganymede result from its surface being stressed.

"The physical models showed a marked similarity to the surface features observed on Ganymede," said Danielle Wyrick, co-author of the new study, in a news release. "From the experiments, it appears that a process in which the crust breaks into separate blocks by large amounts of extension is the primary mechanism for creating these distinct features."

The findings reveal a bit more about how these formations were created on the moon. Not only that, but it shows that these processes may be somewhat similar to the ones that occur on our own planet. This could help researchers better understand the processes that form features on other worlds, as well.

The findings are published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.