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- Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa has a global water ocean<\/strong> beneath its icy surface. Could there be life there?<\/li>\n
- The seafloor of the ocean might not be geologically active enough<\/strong> to support life, such as through hydrothermal vents, a new study suggests.<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s not the final word on Europa, however<\/strong>; other studies have hinted at potential habitability, including in lakes within the icy shell above the ocean.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
EarthSky\u2019s 2026 lunar calendar shows the moon\u2019s phase for every day of the year. Get yours today!<\/p>\n
Is Europa\u2019s ocean habitable?<\/h3>\n
Is there life on Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa? The prospect has excited the public and scientists alike ever since the Galileo spacecraft found the first evidence for a salty ocean beneath its icy crust in the mid-late 1990s. But a new study casts doubt on the ocean being habitable. The researchers, from Washington University in St. Louis, said on January 6, 2026, that the seafloor likely lacks the geologic activity needed to sustain life.<\/p>\n
In fact, the study says that Europa\u2019s seafloor might be \u201cquiet and lifeless.\u201d The findings are based on Europa\u2019s size, its rocky core and Jupiter\u2019s gravitational influence. It\u2019s not the final word yet however, and NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper should be able to give us some more definitive answers to the many questions regarding Europa\u2019s habitability after it arrives in 2030.<\/p>\n
The new peer-reviewed findings were published in Nature Communications<\/em> on January 6, 2026.<\/p>\n
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New paper alert!tl;dr: the seafloor of Europa is probably tectonically inert, meaning little to no active fracturing that could expose fresh rock to seawater.Without such water\u2013rock reactions the prospect for there being life within Europa just took a big hit.A thread:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Paul Byrne (@theplanetaryguy.bsky.social) 2026-01-06T17:55:13.348Z<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
A \u2018quiet and lifeless\u2019 seafloor?<\/h3>\n
Europa\u2019s ocean is global, and actually contains more water than all the oceans on Earth. It is also salty like Earth\u2019s oceans. But is it habitable?<\/p>\n
Scientists are still trying to answer that question. Indeed, Europa has become one of the highest priority targets in the search for life elsewhere in the solar system. Some studies have suggested that yes, Europa\u2019s ocean could be a potential home for life of some kind.<\/p>\n
The new study, however, throws some cold water on the idea. It suggests that the seafloor is likely mostly \u2013 if not completely \u2013 geologically inactive. A lack of hydrothermal vents or other geologic activity such as fracturing in the seafloor to expose fresh rock to seawater would mean a lack of chemical nutrients to provide food to microbial life.<\/p>\n
As lead author Paul Byrne, an associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis, explained:<\/p>\n
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I\u2019m really interested to know what that seafloor looks like. For all of the talk about the ocean itself, there has been little discussion about the seafloor. If we could explore that ocean with a remote-control submarine, we predict we wouldn\u2019t see any new fractures, active volcanoes or plumes of hot water on the seafloor. Geologically, there\u2019s not a lot happening down there. Everything would be quiet.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The findings are similar to those of two other studies from 2024.<\/p>\n
![\"Cutaway](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/03\/Europa-crust-ocean-seafloor-May-5-2021.jpeg\")
Cutaway view of Europa showing the outer ice crust (shell), ocean and seafloor. The seafloor is at the top of the mantle. Image via NASA\/ JPL-Caltech\/ Michael Carroll.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Some tidal heating, but not enough?<\/h3>\n
Much of the heat that is inside Europa would come from tidal heating. This happens as Jupiter\u2019s powerful gravity pulls and squeezes the interior of Europa. There must be some heating still occurring inside Europa, as the ocean is liquid and not frozen. The same thing happens on Jupiter\u2019s largest inner moon Io, which is why it is so volcanically active.<\/p>\n
But there might not be enough tidal heating on Europa to help drive geologic activity inside the moon. Byrne said:<\/p>\n
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Europa likely has some tidal heating, which is why it\u2019s not completely frozen. And it may have had a lot more heating in the distant past. But we don\u2019t see any volcanoes shooting out of the ice today like we see on Io, and our calculations suggest that the tides aren\u2019t strong enough to drive any sort of significant geologic activity at the seafloor.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
If the seafloor really is that quiet and inactive, it lessens the chances for life to exist in the ocean. Byrne added:<\/p>\n
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The energy just doesn\u2019t seem to be there to support life, at least today.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Tan](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/07\/Europa-Juno-September-29-2022.jpg\")
View larger. | View of Europa from NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft on September 29, 2022. Image via NASA\/ JPL-Caltech\/ SwRI\/ MSSS\/ Image processing: Kevin M. Gill (CC BY 3.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u2018That\u2019s why we explore\u2019<\/h3>\n
The possibility of Europa being lifeless doesn\u2019t disappoint Byrne. He said:<\/p>\n
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I\u2019m not upset if we don\u2019t find life on this particular moon. I\u2019m confident that there is life out there somewhere, even if it\u2019s 100 light-years away. That\u2019s why we explore, to see what\u2019s out there.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Man](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/01\/Paul-Byrne-Washington-University-in-St-Louis.jpg\")
Associate professor Paul Byrne at Washington University in St. Louis led the new research about Europa\u2019s ocean. Image via Washington University in St. Louis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Still hope for life on Europa<\/h3>\n
It should be noted that this is one study, and not the final word on Europa. There is evidence for active geology on its icy surface, for example. And a previous study from 2021 suggested that there might indeed be enough tidal heating for volcanic (hydrothermal) activity on the seafloor.<\/p>\n
Some other recent studies say that Europa\u2019s ice shell is likely thicker than previously thought. That would make it more difficult for carbon or other molecules needed for life to penetrate the ice to the ocean below, or vice versa. However, a study from 2023 revealed deposits of carbon dioxide on its surface that likely did<\/em> come from its ocean below.<\/p>\n
There is also growing evidence for lakes of water within the ice shell itself, that might be potentially habitable. Europa\u2019s unusual double ridges also hint at bodies of water with the ice shell.<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper will arrive at Europa in 2030. The detailed study of Europa by that mission should provide more concrete data on just what conditions are like inside this fascinating ocean world.<\/p>\n
Bottom line: Is Europa\u2019s ocean habitable? A new study suggests it might be \u2018quiet and lifeless,\u2019 with little to no geologic activity on the seafloor.<\/p>\n
Source: Little to no active faulting likely at Europa\u2019s seafloor today<\/p>\n
Via Washington University in St. Louis<\/p>\n
Read more: Strange \u2018spider\u2019 on Europa hints at water lurking below<\/p>\n
Read more: Do Europa\u2019s odd ridges indicate life?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n - The seafloor of the ocean might not be geologically active enough<\/strong> to support life, such as through hydrothermal vents, a new study suggests.<\/li>\n