Enceladus (Saturn's Moon) - (Important Facts) {Part-43}

ENCELADUS IS A GEOLOGICALLY ACTIVE MOON with a patchy surface showing evidence of ancient craters and relatively smooth plains with extensive grooving, the result of tectonic activity.

Enceladus

The Cassini probe discovered that the moon has active volcanoes and plumes of water rich material have been witnessed venting into space from Geysers, ending up in orbit around Saturn as part of one of its rings.

Structure of Enceladus

Although the surface of the moon is largely water ice, it features a large rocky core. Heating of this core by tidal forces and radioactive decay drives geological activity on the moon.
The plumes of water out-gassing from Enceladus have been found to contain salt, suggesting that the water is being heated underground and that it originates from large caverns or even an ocean of liquid salt water.

Plumes of water out-gassing from Enceladus

This discovery makes Enceladus one of the most favourable places in the Solar System to search for life.