From ocean spray to chemically distinct ice grains (IMAGE)
Caption
Illustration of the proposed journey of ocean material through Enceladus' icy crust. Seawater droplets rise from the subsurface ocean and gradually freeze, allowing different salts and other chemical components to separate within them. As the frozen droplets travel through narrowing vents, collisions with the ice walls cause them to fragment into much smaller, chemically distinct grains. These particles are then ejected into space in Enceladus' plume, where they can be sampled individually by spacecraft.
Credit
FUB/Marie Dannenmann
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Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
License
CC BY-NC