Topographical Analysis of Libya Linea on Europa: Geologic Evolution and Identification of a New Putative Cryovolcanic or Diapir Field

Abstract

On Jupiter's icy moon Europa, bands played a crucial role in its geological evolution. Large-scale bands such as Libya Linea (LL), which has previously not been studied with an applied method as other prominent Europan bands, offer insights into the icy moon's regional geologic history. To unravel the evolution of LL, our study employed a detailed topographic analysis, complementing a previous tectonic reconstruction (Collins et al., 2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JE007492). While said reconstruction provided a comprehensive view of western LL's tectonic evolution, our study introduces a critical topographic dimension, revealing nuanced differences and emphasizing the importance of an investigation that included LL's eastern portions. We identified distinctive topographic signatures indicative of different deformation stages. The analysis of eastern LL, previously not studied in detail, allowed us to define and characterize the topographic signatures of younger and older parts of LL. In western LL, the topographic characteristics of some branches of LL aligned with those of young branches in its eastern parts, while the topographic signatures in other LL branches supported their previous interpretation as formed during early and intermediate deformation stages. Furthermore, the identification of transpressive features in western LL partially challenged the previous reconstruction, suggesting reworking processes at late evolutionary stages. Overall, our integrated topographic and morpho-stratigraphic analysis broadens the understanding of LL's evolution and bands on Europa in general. Additionally, the identification of a small area of putative cryovolcanic or diapiric activity adds intriguing elements for future exploration of this region with the Europa Clipper and JUICE spacecraft.