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The seismic wavefield in Europa

Quite unlike from what we know

· Seismology,Space,Europa
broken image

Note the huge amplitudes of the flexural waves and their dispersion relation: Short periods arrive first and long periods take forever. This is a general property of flexural waves in slabs and has also be observed in floating ice on Earth.

Another feature is the ocean, which is a very low velocity layer. The P-wave speed in the mantle is 5 times higher, so that antipodal body waves actually spend a third of their travel time crossing the ocean only!

More to follow in an upcoming JGR paper.