Tidal stress patterns on Europa's Crust (Q1890133)

It is known that Jupiter's satellite Europa is comparable in size to the Moon. However, its surface is predominantly composed of water ice, and its density profile indicates that the outer 100--150 km consist of \(H_2O\) as well. The observed character of Europa and the processes that govern it were discussed at the IAU Colloquium N189 on Astrophysical Tides (2002), and several articles (31 items) on the topic are reviewed here. Until now most geologists have had access to theoretical models for only a few selected tidal stress conditions to support their efforts to explain aspects of the tectonic records. In the article the authors have assembled a complete set of global stress maps than has been available before to facilitate interpretation of observed tectonics. Also an example of the authors' recent applications of these stress fields is presented.