DPS 34th Meeting, October 2002
Session 23. Other (than Io and Europa) Planetary Satellites
Oral, Chair(s): C.A. Hibbitts and W.M. Grundy, Wednesday, October 9, 2002, 9:20-10:30 and 11:00-11:20am, Room M

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[23.02] Modeling Amorphization of Crystalline Water Ice on Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto

R.M.E. Mastrapa, R.H. Brown (UA)

We have used the collision cascade program MARLOWE to simulate radiation damage of crystalline water ice on the surfaces of Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede. The conversion of crystalline water ice to its amorphous phase by uv and ion radiation has been well studied [1], [2]. This amorphization process is countered by temperature dependent crystallization. We have previously modeled amorphization of water in the Kuiper Belt where the crystallization process is negligible [3], [4]. We then modelled the amorphization process on the icy Galilean satellites, however, the model failed at timescales over 10000 seconds [5]. We have changed the model to run at long timescales for this meeting. We plan to run simulations with Hydrogen, Oxygen and Sulfur ions to determine the extent of damage and how it compares with the rate of crystallization.

[1] Kouchi, A. and T. Kuroda, Nature, 1990. 344: 134. [2] Strazzulla, G., et al., JGR, 1991. 96(E2): 17547. [3] Mastrapa, R.M.E. and R.H. Brown, LPSC #32 #1381, 2001. [4] Mastrapa, R.M.E. and R.H. Brown, DPS #33 #08.07, 2001. [5] Mastrapa, R.M.E. and R.H. Brown, LPSC #33 #1111, 2002.


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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #3< br> © 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.