Frictional Sliding of Cold Ice: A Fundamental Process Underlying Tectonic Activity Within Icy Satellites

摘要

Frictional sliding is a fundamental process underlying tectonic activity within the crusts of Enceladus, Europa and other icy satellites. Provided that the coefficient of friction is not too high, sliding can account for the generation of active plumes within Enceladus "tiger stripes" and for the development of certain fracture features on Europa. This paper reviews current knowledge of frictional sliding in water ice Ih, and then raises a number of questions relevant to tectonic modeling.