Ridges on Europa

This view of Jupiter's moon Europa shows a portion of the surface that has been highly disrupted by fractures and ridges. This picture covers an area about 238 Km (approx. 150 miles) wide by 225 Km (about 140 miles); in other words, the distance between Los Angeles and San Diego. Symmetric ridges in the dark bands suggest that the surface crust was separated and filled with darker material, somewhat analogous to spreading centers in the ocean basins of Earth. Although some impact craters are visible, their general absence indicates a youthful surface. The youngest ridges, such as the two features that cross the center of the picture, have central fractures, aligned knobs, and irregular dark patches. These and other features could indicate cryovolcanism, or processes related to eruption of ice and gases.
This picture, centered at 16° South Lat. and 196° West Long., was taken at a distance of 40.973 Km (about 25.290 mi) on November 6, 1996, by the Galileo spacecraft Solid State Imaging Television Camera.