7 miles (7.5 kilometers) below the moon's ice crust- (Weinstock). "Planetary scientists say the most likely explanation for the data is a liquid-water ocean similar to oceans found on Earth - a possibility that has extraterrestrial life-seekers reeling with excitement-(Weinstock). The interior of Europa is heated by tidal flexing from the gravitational pull of Jupiter and the other moons of Jupiter. This heating is thought by some scientists to be adequate to heat the interior of Europa enough to produce an ocean underneath the ice crust. The question of a global ocean has many in the scientific community wondering whether Europa may be the most likely body in the solar system to support life, perhaps in the form of small single- or multi-celled organisms. .
Another piece of evidence is the fractured pieces of Europa's crust that look as if they are floating on top of a liquid or slush underneath the surface. "It is possible that the plate movements occurred in the past and the water layer is now frozen and can no longer move. However, the surface of Europa is not blanketed with impact craters, an indication that it may be relatively young and still mobile-(Williams). "CU-Boulder graduate student Amy Barr is developing a computer model to illustrate the Europa ice motions, said Pappalardo. She is modifying a computer model that has been used to understand Earth's plate tectonics and to better understand Europa's geology, including how nutrients created by ice irradiation at Europa's surface might be transported down to the moon's oceans- (Spacedaily). "If life exists in Europa's ocean, organisms might be carried on a slow ride from the bottom to the top of Europa's icy crust-(Spacedaily). Life has been found of Earth in the deep, dark depths of the ocean near heat vents and this could be a possibility on Europa as well.
A second exciting discovery on Europa was the discovery of molecular oxygen in Europa's extremely thin atmosphere.
