ABSTRACT

The study of the interior of the icy moons of our solar system is stimulatedby the evidence of large aqueous reservoirs buried tens or hundreds of kilometers below their surfaces. These deep reservoirs may form global oceans between two layers of different ice phases, constitute local aqueous chambers within the icy crust, or be in contact with the rock layers underneath. All these scenarios represent promising habitable environments that ought to be considered in future astrobiological exploration.