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Data from: An oceanic mechanism for geyser formation on Enceladus

Abdulah, Daniel1; Kang, Wanying1; Berne, Alexander2

Published Jul 28, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mkkwh71gj

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Jul 28, 2026 version files 225.22 MB

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Abstract

The tiger stripes of Enceladus are a sequence of four parallel and evenly spaced fissures 130 km long that erupt water from a global subsurface ocean into space. We present an ocean dynamical theory of their formation. Given one initial fissure, topography on the underside of the ice shell rubs periodically against the ocean due to the satellite's libration. This motion excites internal gravito-inertial waves which propagate down, reflecting at the seafloor, before reimpacting the underside of the shell. Wave breaking upon impact generates thermal energy which promotes melting via a feedback mechanism, forming subsequent fissures in a chain of parallel stripes. Dissipation predicted by linear analytical theory matches nonlinear simulations using the MIT General Circulation Model, with stronger agreement when the topography is less steep. Sufficiently large topography and libration rate excite waves with enough energy to initiate the fissure formation process. For south polar ocean thickness between 30 and 60 km, we constrain the stratification (N < 4.6 x 10-5s-1) at which the resulting wave pattern replicates the observed 35 km spacing of the tiger stripes.