The Solar System - Word Search - PUZZLE #11 EUROPA - August 2025

PUZZLE #11 - EUROPA 

IN-CONTEXT WORD DEFINITIONS

Ocean World: Europa is considered an ocean world because it is believed to have a vast, global subsurface ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust — possibly containing more water than Earth.

EUROPA: EUROPA is one of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. It is the sixth-closest moon to Jupiter and is roughly the size of Earth's Moon.

Ice Shell: Europa's surface is covered by a thick ice shell, estimated to be 10–30 kilometers (6–19 miles) deep. This shell floats above its subsurface ocean and shows evidence of movement and cracking.

Cracked Surface: Europa's icy outer layer is marked by a cracked surface — a network of fractures and ridges formed by tidal stresses from Jupiter’s gravity and potential upwelling from the ocean below.

Lineae: Lineae (Latin for “lines”) are long, dark streaks on Europa’s surface, possibly caused by tectonic forces, cryovolcanism, or the movement of the ice shell. They hint at a dynamic, shifting crust.

Chaos Terrain: Chaos terrain refers to regions of disrupted, jumbled ice blocks, possibly created when the surface collapses or melts due to interactions with the ocean below. These areas may be sites of surface-ocean exchange.

Astrobiology: Europa is a primary focus in the field of astrobiology, the study of life beyond Earth. Its ocean may have the chemical ingredients and energy sources needed to support microbial or simple life.

Hydrothermal Vents: If Europa has hydrothermal vents on its ocean floor (like those on Earth), they could provide heat and nutrients, creating a potential habitat for life — even in the absence of sunlight.

Potential: Europa has strong life potential because it may possess liquid water, chemical building blocks, and energy sources — the three key ingredients for life as we know it.

Secret Word: A NASA mission planned to launch in the mid-2020s to conduct detailed flybys of Europa. Its mission, study the surface, subsurface ocean, chemistry, and potential habitability.