Europa: Ridges and Fractures 9.14
15 km wide Galileo view of part of Europa, showing the level of complexity revealed in Europa's bright plains by Galileo's high resolution.
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Image Credit: NASA  

A 15 km wide Galileo view of part of Europa, showing the level of complexity revealed in Europa's bright plains by Galileo's high resolution. The relatively smooth area in the lower third of this view corresponds to a dark crack at Voyager resolution, whereas the complexly ridged surface elsewhere looks bright and featureless. The large ridge cutting across the lower right is 300 m high. There is a 300 m diameter impact crater near the centre and several smaller ones, so although young by Solar System standards this surface is likely to be at least several million years old.  
Text credit: David A. Rothery Return to top of page