Europa may have plate tectonics

[kayshapero]

Now this is interesting...

from Space.com
Jupiter's Moon Europa May Have Plate Tectonics Just Like Earth
By Mike Wall, Senior Writer | September 08, 2014 11:30am ET

Scientists have found evidence of an active plate tectonics system within the ice shell of Jupiter's moon Europa. Earth has long been thought to be the only solar system body with plate tectonics.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Ted Stryk


Jupiter's icy moon Europa, regarded as perhaps the solar system's best bet to host alien life, keeps getting more and more interesting.

Big slabs of ice are sliding over and under each other within Europa's ice shell, a new study suggests. The Jovian satellite may thus be the only solar system body besides Earth to possess a system of plate tectonics.
(more)

Comments

[seawasp]

I rather suspected as much, but it wasn't terribly relevant to Portal so I didn't bother to discuss it there (though it's partially implicit).

[kayshapero]

From planetquakes and things? Makes sense. And for story purposes anything to add to whatever makes it worth the trouble for the local life forms to evolve intelligence. It's pretty expensive if you don't NEED it after all...