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Astronomers may have just solved a salty mystery at Jupiter's most famous moon | Inverse
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
NASA's Galileo spacecraft took an image of Jupiter's moon Europa in the summer of 2001. In the colorized version there can be seen strange red streaks, appearing almost like the capillaries feeding a giant eyeball. Those streaks proved to be something of a mystery: Scientists assumed it was a mixture of sodium chloride salts of some sort with water ice, but the chemical signature of these streaks in spectrometer readings don't match those of any known salts on Earth -- the salts on Europa appear to contain more water. Baptiste Journaux, acting assistant professor of Earth and space sciences at the UW, is quoted. Read More -
Video: Lummi Nation School students visit UW to talk to International Space Station astronaut
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Students from the Lummi Nation School visited the University of Washington in February for a real-time conversation with astronaut Josh Cassada on the International Space Station (ISS). As part of a science project on an indigenous plant called 'Devil's Club' that is significant in Lummi culture, seeds were sent to the ISS in late fall 2022. Cassada was the astronaut who worked on the plant experiment and germinated the seeds to compare them to a similar plant on Earth.
For journalists
Download soundbites and B-roll from this event here
The Lummi Nation School students as well as students from the UW had a rare opportunity for a live Q&A with Cassada (with a few seconds' delay) about his life and current job on the ISS. The conversation was possible because of a “downlink,” which allows participants on Earth to see video and hear audio from the astronaut in space.
The event included presentations by UW students, professors Emily Levesque (astronomy) and Gregg Colburn (real estate) as well as a panel with former Seattle astronaut, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger. It was hosted by the UW and the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, a group whose mission is to enhance higher education opportunities for students seeking to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. More details about the event are here.
You can watch a recording of the downlink Q&A here.
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New type of salty ice may exist on extraterrestrial ocean moons | CNN
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
The mysterious red streaks crisscrossing the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa may be the result of a newly discovered kind of salty ice. Europa has long intrigued scientists because the moon has a subsurface ocean beneath a thick shell of ice. Plumes of water have been known to erupt from cracks in the ice shell, releasing the contents of the moon's alien ocean into space. Ocean worlds like Europa are the best bet for finding evidence of life outside of Earth, according to scientists. Baptiste Journaux, acting assistant professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted. Read More -
Scientists create new type of salt crystal that could exist on Europa | GeekWire
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
A prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life is Europa, a moon of Jupiter that's covered with a sheet of salty ice. But what kind of salt is there? Researchers say they've created a new kind of salt crystal that could fill the bill, and perhaps raise hopes for finding life under the ice. Baptiste Journaux, acting assistant professor of Earth and space sciences at the UW, is quoted. Read More -
Newly discovered form of salty ice could exist on surface of extraterrestrial moons
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
This image shows red streaks across the surface of Europa, the smallest of Jupiter's four large moons. The discovery of new types of salty ice could explain the material in these streaks and provide clues on the composition of Europa's ice-covered ocean.NASA/JPL/Galileo
The red streaks crisscrossing the surface of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, are striking. Scientists suspect it is a frozen mixture of water and salts, but its chemical signature is mysterious because it matches no known substance on Earth.
An international team led by the University of Washington may have solved the puzzle with the discovery of a new type of solid crystal that forms when water and table salt combine in cold and high-pressure conditions. Researchers believe the new substance created in a lab on Earth could form at the surface and bottom of these worlds' deep oceans.
The study, published the week of Feb. 20 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, announces a new combination for two of Earth's most common substances: water and sodium chloride, or table salt.
"It's rare nowadays to have fundamental discoveries in science," said lead author Baptiste Journaux, a UW acting assistant professor of Earth and space sciences. "Salt and water are very well known at Earth conditions. But beyond that, we're totally in the dark. And now we have these planetary objects that probably have compounds that are very familiar to us, but at very exotic conditions. We have to redo all the fundamental mineralogical science that people did in the 1800s, but at high pressure and low temperature. It is an exciting time."
This image shows the newly discovered hydrate that has two sodium chloride molecules for every 17 water molecules. This crystal formed at high pressure but remains stable at cold, low-pressure conditions.Journaux et al./PNAS
At cold temperatures water and salts combine to form a rigid salted icy lattice, known as a hydrate, held in place by hydrogen bonds. The only previously known hydrate for sodium chloride was a simple structure with one salt molecule for every two water molecules.
But the two new hydrates, found at moderate pressures and low temperatures, are strikingly different. One has two sodium chlorides for every 17 water molecules; the other has one sodium chloride for every 13 water molecules. This would explain why the signatures from the surface of Jupiter's moons are more "watery" than expected.
“It has the structure that planetary scientists have been waiting for," Journaux said.
Researchers discovered two new crystals made from water and table salt at low temperatures, below about minus 50 C. The previously known structure (left) has one salt molecule (yellow and green balls) to two water molecules (red and pink balls). X-ray imaging let researchers determine the position of individual atoms in the new structures. The center structure has two sodium chloride molecules for every 17 water molecules and stays stable even if pressure drops to near vacuum, as would exist on a lunar surface. The structure on the right has one sodium chloride molecule for every 13 water molecules, and is stable only at high pressure.Baptiste Journaux/University of Washington
The discovery of new types of salty ice has importance not just for planetary science, but for physical chemistry and even energy research, which uses hydrates for energy storage, Journaux said.
The experiment involved compressing a tiny bit of salty water at synchrotron facilities in France, Germany and the U.S. between two diamonds about the size of a grain of sand, squeezing the liquid up to 25,000 times the standard atmospheric pressure. The transparent diamonds allowed the team to watch the process through a microscope.
"We were trying to measure how adding salt would change the amount of ice we could get, since salt acts as an antifreeze," Baptiste said. "Surprisingly, when we put the pressure on, what we saw is that these crystals that we were not expecting started growing. It was a very serendipitous discovery."
Such cold, high-pressure conditions created in the lab would be common on Jupiter's moons, where scientists think 5 to 10 kilometers of ice would cover oceans up to several hundred kilometers thick, with even denser forms of ice possible at the bottom.
"Pressure just gets the molecules closer together, so their interaction changes -- that is the main engine for diversity in the crystal structures we found," Journaux said.
Once the newly discovered hydrates had formed, one of the two structures remained stable even after the pressure was released.
"We determined that it remains stable at standard pressure up to about minus 50 C. So if you have a very briny lake, for example in Antarctica, that could be exposed to these temperatures, this newly discovered hydrate could be present there," Journaux said.
The team hopes to either make or collect a larger sample to allow more thorough analysis and verify whether the signatures from icy moons match the signatures from the newly discovered hydrates.
Two upcoming missions will explore Jupiter's icy moons: The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission, launching in April, and NASA's Europa Clipper mission, launching for October 2024. NASA's Dragonfly mission launches to Saturn's moon Titan in 2026. Knowing what chemicals these missions will encounter will help to better target their search for signatures of life.
This image shows white streaks across the surface of Ganymede, the largest of Jupiter's moons. The discovery of new types of salty ice could explain the material in these streaks and provide clues on the composition of Ganymede's ice-covered ocean.NASA/JPL/JUNO
“These are the only planetary bodies, other than Earth, where liquid water is stable at geological timescales, which is crucial for the emergence and development of life," Journaux said. "They are, in my opinion, the best place in our solar system to discover extraterrestrial life, so we need to study their exotic oceans and interiors to better understand how they formed, evolved and can retain liquid water in cold regions of the solar system, so far away from the sun.”
This research was funded by NASA. Co-authors are professor J. Michael Brown and graduate student Jason Ott at the UW. Additional co-authors were at the German Electron Synchrotron in Hamburg; the European Synchrotron Facility in France; the Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology in Switzerland, the Bavarian Geoinstitute for Experimental Geochemistry and Geophysics in Germany; NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; and the University of Chicago.
For more information, contact Journaux at bjournau@uw.edu.
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Breakthroughs in virtual fieldwork | Geographical
Friday, February 17, 2023
Fieldwork is an integral part of geography, earth and environmental science (GEES) degree programs, but for many, it represents a barrier to university study. In an attempt to make courses more inclusive, some universities are now turning to digital alternatives. Juliet Crider, associate professor of Earth and space sciences at the UW, is quoted. Read More -
Turkey earthquake highlights dangerous 'seismic gaps' around the world | The Washington Post
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
The East Anatolian fault that ruptured this week in Turkey was well-known to scientists and government officials, but it had not caused a catastrophic earthquake in at least the past century. Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and professor of Earth and space sciences at the UW, is quoted. Read More -
Analysis: Seismologists can't predict an impending earthquake, but longer term forecasts and brief warnings after one starts are possible | The Conversation
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
"Can scientists predict a particular earthquake? In short, no. Science has not yet found a way to make actionable earthquake predictions. A useful prediction would specify a time, a place and a magnitude - and all of these would need to be fairly specific, with enough advance notice to be worthwhile," writes Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and professor of Earth and space sciences at the UW. Read More -
UW experts discuss the earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Three University of Washington experts have provided the following quotes in response to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday morning.
Harold Tobin is director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and a UW professor of Earth and space sciences. Tobin studies tectonic plate boundaries with a focus on how faults work and the conditions inside them that lead to earthquakes. He also serves as Washington state's seismologist.
Harold TobinUniversity of Washington
“This region along the East Anatolian Fault has a well-known history of seismic activity, and it had been identified by Turkish emergency management as a place of high seismic hazard,” Tobin said. “However, its known history does not include earthquakes of magnitude 7 or above since seismometers existed to measure them, though historic records indicate earthquakes of up to magnitude 7.4 have occurred. The scale and size of this magnitude 7.8 quake and the one that followed are both larger than what was most likely anticipated. The fact that there was a second large and damaging quake, the magnitude 7.5 that occurred about nine hours later, is not unprecedented globally, but is very uncommon, especially at this size.
“It is not typical for a rupture on one fault to trigger a slip on another fault, but it's also not that uncommon. For example, the 2019 earthquakes in Ridgecrest, California, also clearly had slip along two different faults.
“The surprising size of the two earthquakes and the length of the fault zone makes them very remarkable events. We have seen very, very few on-land, strike-slip fault earthquakes as large as this in the past century, anywhere. For comparison, the San Andreas Fault in California has not had a comparable quake since the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The only other U.S. event of similar scale in the era of instrumental records was the 2002 Denali Fault Earthquake in Alaska. That was also a strike-slip fault, involving the lateral motion of two crustal blocks, as opposed to the converging motion of a subduction zone fault. Fortunately that earthquake affected a sparsely populated region.”
- Click here for a list of UW experts who are available to speak on the situation.
- UW employees can donate to the relief effort through the UW Combined Fund Drive.
In southern Turkey and Syria, “the risk remains elevated, unfortunately, because aftershocks are expected for some time -- weeks to months to even years. Besides the 7.8 and the 7.5, there have been three aftershocks of magnitude 6.0 or larger already, and more can be expected. People in the region need to remain vigilant that more aftershocks may occur. It is also possible, though less probable, that additional, very large earthquakes could occur, even ones as large as, or larger than, the 7.5 and 7.8. Adjacent segments of the faults could still have built-up strain to be released.”
Dawn Lehman, UW professor of civil and environmental engineering, studies older buildings with substandard details and connections to develop advanced computer methods that can identify weak points. She then creates rehabilitation methods to improve the structural performance of these buildings.
Dawn Lehman
“It is devastating to watch the aftermath of this earthquake followed by aftershocks,” Lehman said. “Clearly we have to think about the magnitude of aftershocks and simple mechanisms to reinforce brittle structures.”
“Although every building is unique in its geometry, function and seismic demands, it is well understood that reinforced concrete buildings without seismic detailing are particularly vulnerable in earthquakes. In modern reinforced concrete design, we improve the seismic performance by using steel with very high strain capacities at fracture and closely spaced hoop-shaped reinforcement to encase the main reinforcing bars. Even if the two buildings have the same strength, only the building with the high-strain capacity steel and the encased rebar will be able to sustain the earthquake demands without collapsing. Otherwise the response is ‘brittle.'”
“Many countries are studying important technologies to prevent building collapse in moderate to large earthquakes. The knowledge and development of the technologies is the first step, but implementation and construction methods are also very important. We have seen over decades that improvement in codes leads to improvement in seismic response.”
“The most important thing right now is the humanitarian aspect of this tragedy: ensuring people who have been displaced have warm shelter and basic human necessities and evacuating structures that have a high probability of collapsing in a large aftershock. I am thankful for every person who is helping with that effort.”
Mark Ward
Mark Ward, lecturer of international studies at the UW, is a retired foreign service officer. His expertise includes humanitarian emergencies, disasters from natural and human causes and public-private partnerships in disaster response.
“Turkish authorities will probably mount an effective response,” Ward said. “They have a lot of experience and international support. The situation in northwest Syria will be far more dire, where the seemingly endless civil war will make emergency response much, much harder.”
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Turkey's fault line is similar to faults under Puget Sound | KUOW
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Officials on Tuesday said they believe that more than 7,000 people are dead after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook southern Turkey, near the Turkish-Syrian border. Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and professor of Earth and space sciences at the UW, says the fault line that caused this disaster is similar to the faults under Puget Sound. The Seattle Fault, the Tacoma Fault, and the South Whidbey Island Fault are all shallow in the earth's crust and are near large population centers, according to Tobin. Read More