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What could trigger powerful quakes on icy world?


If Earth Were Forged by Fire and IceCan this planetary system remain stable?Exoplanetary Review: Acid RainLong lasting life on interstellar planets?Exploring deep ocean at 1GPa with minimum metal availableWould it be possible for an Earth-like planet to have multiple moons with diverse biomes capable of supporting life?Geography and Appearance of an nitrogen/ammonia planetPlease help me calculate acceptable planet sizes & eclipse shadows cast by my binary planet systemWorld in drought - How long does it take for a forest to die without water?How to explain one side of Super Earth is smoother than the other side?













9












$begingroup$


Imagine a planet orbiting a star some billions of lightyears away from us, the planet is 4 times the mass of Earth and is covered with ice 100km thick on average. It is believed that liquid ocean exist beneath that thick ice sheet and it could harbour life, any way I like to know how quakes can occur naturally on the ice without scarring the surface or through divine intervention?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I guess 'without scarring the surface' rules out any process similar to subduction or fault lines? Maybe there could be iceberg-like chunks flowing in the ocean under the surface that hit each other and cause a shockwave resulting in a quake??
    $endgroup$
    – Smock
    yesterday











  • $begingroup$
    with some billions light years away, you mean the planet-star distance, or the distance from us?
    $endgroup$
    – L.Dutch
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    @L.Dutch: distance from us.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    The question is unclear because your requirements without scarring the surface or through divine intervention are in one sentence: are those both external influences (I assumed that in my answer, so no meteorites etc), or are the causes internal and external respectively?
    $endgroup$
    – Jan Doggen
    yesterday











  • $begingroup$
    @JanDoggen: no asteroid and your answer looks fine to me. Also no avalanche too.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    yesterday
















9












$begingroup$


Imagine a planet orbiting a star some billions of lightyears away from us, the planet is 4 times the mass of Earth and is covered with ice 100km thick on average. It is believed that liquid ocean exist beneath that thick ice sheet and it could harbour life, any way I like to know how quakes can occur naturally on the ice without scarring the surface or through divine intervention?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I guess 'without scarring the surface' rules out any process similar to subduction or fault lines? Maybe there could be iceberg-like chunks flowing in the ocean under the surface that hit each other and cause a shockwave resulting in a quake??
    $endgroup$
    – Smock
    yesterday











  • $begingroup$
    with some billions light years away, you mean the planet-star distance, or the distance from us?
    $endgroup$
    – L.Dutch
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    @L.Dutch: distance from us.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    The question is unclear because your requirements without scarring the surface or through divine intervention are in one sentence: are those both external influences (I assumed that in my answer, so no meteorites etc), or are the causes internal and external respectively?
    $endgroup$
    – Jan Doggen
    yesterday











  • $begingroup$
    @JanDoggen: no asteroid and your answer looks fine to me. Also no avalanche too.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    yesterday














9












9








9


2



$begingroup$


Imagine a planet orbiting a star some billions of lightyears away from us, the planet is 4 times the mass of Earth and is covered with ice 100km thick on average. It is believed that liquid ocean exist beneath that thick ice sheet and it could harbour life, any way I like to know how quakes can occur naturally on the ice without scarring the surface or through divine intervention?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$




Imagine a planet orbiting a star some billions of lightyears away from us, the planet is 4 times the mass of Earth and is covered with ice 100km thick on average. It is believed that liquid ocean exist beneath that thick ice sheet and it could harbour life, any way I like to know how quakes can occur naturally on the ice without scarring the surface or through divine intervention?







planets water ice earthquake






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited yesterday







user6760

















asked yesterday









user6760user6760

12.8k1570154




12.8k1570154







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I guess 'without scarring the surface' rules out any process similar to subduction or fault lines? Maybe there could be iceberg-like chunks flowing in the ocean under the surface that hit each other and cause a shockwave resulting in a quake??
    $endgroup$
    – Smock
    yesterday











  • $begingroup$
    with some billions light years away, you mean the planet-star distance, or the distance from us?
    $endgroup$
    – L.Dutch
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    @L.Dutch: distance from us.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    The question is unclear because your requirements without scarring the surface or through divine intervention are in one sentence: are those both external influences (I assumed that in my answer, so no meteorites etc), or are the causes internal and external respectively?
    $endgroup$
    – Jan Doggen
    yesterday











  • $begingroup$
    @JanDoggen: no asteroid and your answer looks fine to me. Also no avalanche too.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    yesterday













  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I guess 'without scarring the surface' rules out any process similar to subduction or fault lines? Maybe there could be iceberg-like chunks flowing in the ocean under the surface that hit each other and cause a shockwave resulting in a quake??
    $endgroup$
    – Smock
    yesterday











  • $begingroup$
    with some billions light years away, you mean the planet-star distance, or the distance from us?
    $endgroup$
    – L.Dutch
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    @L.Dutch: distance from us.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    The question is unclear because your requirements without scarring the surface or through divine intervention are in one sentence: are those both external influences (I assumed that in my answer, so no meteorites etc), or are the causes internal and external respectively?
    $endgroup$
    – Jan Doggen
    yesterday











  • $begingroup$
    @JanDoggen: no asteroid and your answer looks fine to me. Also no avalanche too.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    yesterday








1




1




$begingroup$
I guess 'without scarring the surface' rules out any process similar to subduction or fault lines? Maybe there could be iceberg-like chunks flowing in the ocean under the surface that hit each other and cause a shockwave resulting in a quake??
$endgroup$
– Smock
yesterday





$begingroup$
I guess 'without scarring the surface' rules out any process similar to subduction or fault lines? Maybe there could be iceberg-like chunks flowing in the ocean under the surface that hit each other and cause a shockwave resulting in a quake??
$endgroup$
– Smock
yesterday













$begingroup$
with some billions light years away, you mean the planet-star distance, or the distance from us?
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch
yesterday




$begingroup$
with some billions light years away, you mean the planet-star distance, or the distance from us?
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch
yesterday












$begingroup$
@L.Dutch: distance from us.
$endgroup$
– user6760
yesterday




$begingroup$
@L.Dutch: distance from us.
$endgroup$
– user6760
yesterday












$begingroup$
The question is unclear because your requirements without scarring the surface or through divine intervention are in one sentence: are those both external influences (I assumed that in my answer, so no meteorites etc), or are the causes internal and external respectively?
$endgroup$
– Jan Doggen
yesterday





$begingroup$
The question is unclear because your requirements without scarring the surface or through divine intervention are in one sentence: are those both external influences (I assumed that in my answer, so no meteorites etc), or are the causes internal and external respectively?
$endgroup$
– Jan Doggen
yesterday













$begingroup$
@JanDoggen: no asteroid and your answer looks fine to me. Also no avalanche too.
$endgroup$
– user6760
yesterday





$begingroup$
@JanDoggen: no asteroid and your answer looks fine to me. Also no avalanche too.
$endgroup$
– user6760
yesterday











5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes


















21












$begingroup$

There is a gravitational pull from the star on the planet. This causes movement in your underground water just like the tides here on Earth. You will still have the 'bulges' in your water table.



These exert a pressure on the ice that's above it.



Since it is your world, you can decide how strong these forces are going to be: the quakes can be mild, or they can bring down your ice mountains.



Note that these processes are actually happening right now on the icy moons in the solar system, like Europa:




The predominant model suggests that heat from tidal flexing causes the ocean to remain liquid and drives ice movement similar to plate tectonics, absorbing chemicals from the surface into the ocean below.




From a 2014 NASA publication: Scientists Find Evidence of ‘Diving’ Tectonic Plates on Jupiter’s Moon Europa . Note that Europas ice shell is only 20-30 kilometer, but again, it's your world ;-)






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Yeah but not scaring the surface? That's the hard bit. Ice isn't like jelly.
    $endgroup$
    – Thorne
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    @Thorne You could handwave it with "water volcanoes" that fill up the cracks and damages before freezing again. I know, it is a handwave, but i think it would work in a story.
    $endgroup$
    – DarthDonut
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    Europa is much closer to Jupiter than any planet covered in ice could expect to get to its star (and remain so covered). Maybe orbiting a brown dwarf or something this could be viable? I'd need to do some math (that I don't actually know how to do)
    $endgroup$
    – ocket8888
    yesterday


















14












$begingroup$

Ice worms.



ice worm
source



These things are big. The really big ones rarely move, their energy mostly coming from varying tidal forces on their bodies. Very occasionally they do. When they do, stuff shakes topside over a large area.



These big ice worms leave tunnels that gradually fill back in. The presence of these tunnels can be helpful for a fiction or game. Big ice worms start as smaller ice worms. Your guide can tell worm size by the shaking. The big ones are deep, and nothing to worry about. The little ones sometimes shake even more than the big ones, and those you do need to worry about. They are shaking things more because they are right underneath you, and possibly interested in you.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$








  • 3




    $begingroup$
    I like this answer, and it terrifies me to no end. It also suggests that an entire ecosystem would exist on this world, perhaps with some creatures living primarily on or near the surface.
    $endgroup$
    – MrSpudtastic
    yesterday







  • 4




    $begingroup$
    So it's like Dune, but the worms are actually plausible.
    $endgroup$
    – Azor Ahai
    yesterday


















13












$begingroup$

Phase Changes Within the Sheet Itself



So, ice isn't a singular material and can exist in any of 11 unique forms each with different pressure and temperature requirements. On a planet with a 100km thick blanket of ice, the ice in the middle and bottom layers would very likely be subjected to many extremes of pressure.



The Many Phases of Ice



Your "ice quakes" could be ice reacting to changes in form (almost all of which include a molecular realignment in the crystal structure) due to pressure changes within the ice sheet. These would cascade out quickly from the "epicenter" as the pressure gradient forces nearby ice to crack and realign itself in response to changes in pressure or even creating thin layers of melt between the sheets where the ice can "slip past" itself. The top layer of ice need not even be very involved here, as changes in the lower and middle layers of the ice sheet would send shock waves which would travel quickly through the thick solid "cap" on your planet and the thin "melt layers" could let much of the surface move independently from the ice under it. Combined with some of the other answers such as tidal forces or geothermal activity, this could easily explain anything you need about the geology of the planet.



In addition, while most ice has a lower density than water and floats on top of it, many of the more exotic forms which might be formed in your ice sheet could easily be more dense than the water, working themselves down through the ice sheet over many years until they "rain down" through the liquid layer onto the rocky floor below, only to eventually reheat via geothermal radiation and melt, eventually finding their way back into the ice sheet.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




John Kossa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Great first answer John Kossa. Welcome to the site, please take the tour and read up in our help centre about how we work: help center
    $endgroup$
    – Agrajag
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    A ballpark estimate is that the the pressure at the bottom of the ice layer is around 1 GPa, which puts the pressure inside the ice layer right in the middle of that complicated mess of phase changes. Given a suitable temperature gradient, you could easily get a half-dozen different solid phases of ice all at once.
    $endgroup$
    – Mark
    yesterday


















4












$begingroup$

Plate Tectonics



Under the ice there is water (maybe) and under the water, there is rock, then under the rock there is a molten core, this allows for tectonic plates to move and shift like it does here. The same things that cause earthquakes on earth will cause earthquakes on your planet.



The water under the plates has a dampening effect on the ice, so the ice shakes, but doesn't break or shift.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$




















    1












    $begingroup$

    Air pockets underneath the ice?
    They are compressible, and allow the water below to move and splash around to form waves. Add in tidal and Coriolis effects, and you get regular localised icequakes as the water moves the air around






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$












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      5 Answers
      5






      active

      oldest

      votes








      5 Answers
      5






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      21












      $begingroup$

      There is a gravitational pull from the star on the planet. This causes movement in your underground water just like the tides here on Earth. You will still have the 'bulges' in your water table.



      These exert a pressure on the ice that's above it.



      Since it is your world, you can decide how strong these forces are going to be: the quakes can be mild, or they can bring down your ice mountains.



      Note that these processes are actually happening right now on the icy moons in the solar system, like Europa:




      The predominant model suggests that heat from tidal flexing causes the ocean to remain liquid and drives ice movement similar to plate tectonics, absorbing chemicals from the surface into the ocean below.




      From a 2014 NASA publication: Scientists Find Evidence of ‘Diving’ Tectonic Plates on Jupiter’s Moon Europa . Note that Europas ice shell is only 20-30 kilometer, but again, it's your world ;-)






      share|improve this answer











      $endgroup$








      • 2




        $begingroup$
        Yeah but not scaring the surface? That's the hard bit. Ice isn't like jelly.
        $endgroup$
        – Thorne
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        @Thorne You could handwave it with "water volcanoes" that fill up the cracks and damages before freezing again. I know, it is a handwave, but i think it would work in a story.
        $endgroup$
        – DarthDonut
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        Europa is much closer to Jupiter than any planet covered in ice could expect to get to its star (and remain so covered). Maybe orbiting a brown dwarf or something this could be viable? I'd need to do some math (that I don't actually know how to do)
        $endgroup$
        – ocket8888
        yesterday















      21












      $begingroup$

      There is a gravitational pull from the star on the planet. This causes movement in your underground water just like the tides here on Earth. You will still have the 'bulges' in your water table.



      These exert a pressure on the ice that's above it.



      Since it is your world, you can decide how strong these forces are going to be: the quakes can be mild, or they can bring down your ice mountains.



      Note that these processes are actually happening right now on the icy moons in the solar system, like Europa:




      The predominant model suggests that heat from tidal flexing causes the ocean to remain liquid and drives ice movement similar to plate tectonics, absorbing chemicals from the surface into the ocean below.




      From a 2014 NASA publication: Scientists Find Evidence of ‘Diving’ Tectonic Plates on Jupiter’s Moon Europa . Note that Europas ice shell is only 20-30 kilometer, but again, it's your world ;-)






      share|improve this answer











      $endgroup$








      • 2




        $begingroup$
        Yeah but not scaring the surface? That's the hard bit. Ice isn't like jelly.
        $endgroup$
        – Thorne
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        @Thorne You could handwave it with "water volcanoes" that fill up the cracks and damages before freezing again. I know, it is a handwave, but i think it would work in a story.
        $endgroup$
        – DarthDonut
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        Europa is much closer to Jupiter than any planet covered in ice could expect to get to its star (and remain so covered). Maybe orbiting a brown dwarf or something this could be viable? I'd need to do some math (that I don't actually know how to do)
        $endgroup$
        – ocket8888
        yesterday













      21












      21








      21





      $begingroup$

      There is a gravitational pull from the star on the planet. This causes movement in your underground water just like the tides here on Earth. You will still have the 'bulges' in your water table.



      These exert a pressure on the ice that's above it.



      Since it is your world, you can decide how strong these forces are going to be: the quakes can be mild, or they can bring down your ice mountains.



      Note that these processes are actually happening right now on the icy moons in the solar system, like Europa:




      The predominant model suggests that heat from tidal flexing causes the ocean to remain liquid and drives ice movement similar to plate tectonics, absorbing chemicals from the surface into the ocean below.




      From a 2014 NASA publication: Scientists Find Evidence of ‘Diving’ Tectonic Plates on Jupiter’s Moon Europa . Note that Europas ice shell is only 20-30 kilometer, but again, it's your world ;-)






      share|improve this answer











      $endgroup$



      There is a gravitational pull from the star on the planet. This causes movement in your underground water just like the tides here on Earth. You will still have the 'bulges' in your water table.



      These exert a pressure on the ice that's above it.



      Since it is your world, you can decide how strong these forces are going to be: the quakes can be mild, or they can bring down your ice mountains.



      Note that these processes are actually happening right now on the icy moons in the solar system, like Europa:




      The predominant model suggests that heat from tidal flexing causes the ocean to remain liquid and drives ice movement similar to plate tectonics, absorbing chemicals from the surface into the ocean below.




      From a 2014 NASA publication: Scientists Find Evidence of ‘Diving’ Tectonic Plates on Jupiter’s Moon Europa . Note that Europas ice shell is only 20-30 kilometer, but again, it's your world ;-)







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited yesterday

























      answered yesterday









      Jan DoggenJan Doggen

      1,2841019




      1,2841019







      • 2




        $begingroup$
        Yeah but not scaring the surface? That's the hard bit. Ice isn't like jelly.
        $endgroup$
        – Thorne
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        @Thorne You could handwave it with "water volcanoes" that fill up the cracks and damages before freezing again. I know, it is a handwave, but i think it would work in a story.
        $endgroup$
        – DarthDonut
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        Europa is much closer to Jupiter than any planet covered in ice could expect to get to its star (and remain so covered). Maybe orbiting a brown dwarf or something this could be viable? I'd need to do some math (that I don't actually know how to do)
        $endgroup$
        – ocket8888
        yesterday












      • 2




        $begingroup$
        Yeah but not scaring the surface? That's the hard bit. Ice isn't like jelly.
        $endgroup$
        – Thorne
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        @Thorne You could handwave it with "water volcanoes" that fill up the cracks and damages before freezing again. I know, it is a handwave, but i think it would work in a story.
        $endgroup$
        – DarthDonut
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        Europa is much closer to Jupiter than any planet covered in ice could expect to get to its star (and remain so covered). Maybe orbiting a brown dwarf or something this could be viable? I'd need to do some math (that I don't actually know how to do)
        $endgroup$
        – ocket8888
        yesterday







      2




      2




      $begingroup$
      Yeah but not scaring the surface? That's the hard bit. Ice isn't like jelly.
      $endgroup$
      – Thorne
      yesterday




      $begingroup$
      Yeah but not scaring the surface? That's the hard bit. Ice isn't like jelly.
      $endgroup$
      – Thorne
      yesterday












      $begingroup$
      @Thorne You could handwave it with "water volcanoes" that fill up the cracks and damages before freezing again. I know, it is a handwave, but i think it would work in a story.
      $endgroup$
      – DarthDonut
      yesterday




      $begingroup$
      @Thorne You could handwave it with "water volcanoes" that fill up the cracks and damages before freezing again. I know, it is a handwave, but i think it would work in a story.
      $endgroup$
      – DarthDonut
      yesterday












      $begingroup$
      Europa is much closer to Jupiter than any planet covered in ice could expect to get to its star (and remain so covered). Maybe orbiting a brown dwarf or something this could be viable? I'd need to do some math (that I don't actually know how to do)
      $endgroup$
      – ocket8888
      yesterday




      $begingroup$
      Europa is much closer to Jupiter than any planet covered in ice could expect to get to its star (and remain so covered). Maybe orbiting a brown dwarf or something this could be viable? I'd need to do some math (that I don't actually know how to do)
      $endgroup$
      – ocket8888
      yesterday











      14












      $begingroup$

      Ice worms.



      ice worm
      source



      These things are big. The really big ones rarely move, their energy mostly coming from varying tidal forces on their bodies. Very occasionally they do. When they do, stuff shakes topside over a large area.



      These big ice worms leave tunnels that gradually fill back in. The presence of these tunnels can be helpful for a fiction or game. Big ice worms start as smaller ice worms. Your guide can tell worm size by the shaking. The big ones are deep, and nothing to worry about. The little ones sometimes shake even more than the big ones, and those you do need to worry about. They are shaking things more because they are right underneath you, and possibly interested in you.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$








      • 3




        $begingroup$
        I like this answer, and it terrifies me to no end. It also suggests that an entire ecosystem would exist on this world, perhaps with some creatures living primarily on or near the surface.
        $endgroup$
        – MrSpudtastic
        yesterday







      • 4




        $begingroup$
        So it's like Dune, but the worms are actually plausible.
        $endgroup$
        – Azor Ahai
        yesterday















      14












      $begingroup$

      Ice worms.



      ice worm
      source



      These things are big. The really big ones rarely move, their energy mostly coming from varying tidal forces on their bodies. Very occasionally they do. When they do, stuff shakes topside over a large area.



      These big ice worms leave tunnels that gradually fill back in. The presence of these tunnels can be helpful for a fiction or game. Big ice worms start as smaller ice worms. Your guide can tell worm size by the shaking. The big ones are deep, and nothing to worry about. The little ones sometimes shake even more than the big ones, and those you do need to worry about. They are shaking things more because they are right underneath you, and possibly interested in you.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$








      • 3




        $begingroup$
        I like this answer, and it terrifies me to no end. It also suggests that an entire ecosystem would exist on this world, perhaps with some creatures living primarily on or near the surface.
        $endgroup$
        – MrSpudtastic
        yesterday







      • 4




        $begingroup$
        So it's like Dune, but the worms are actually plausible.
        $endgroup$
        – Azor Ahai
        yesterday













      14












      14








      14





      $begingroup$

      Ice worms.



      ice worm
      source



      These things are big. The really big ones rarely move, their energy mostly coming from varying tidal forces on their bodies. Very occasionally they do. When they do, stuff shakes topside over a large area.



      These big ice worms leave tunnels that gradually fill back in. The presence of these tunnels can be helpful for a fiction or game. Big ice worms start as smaller ice worms. Your guide can tell worm size by the shaking. The big ones are deep, and nothing to worry about. The little ones sometimes shake even more than the big ones, and those you do need to worry about. They are shaking things more because they are right underneath you, and possibly interested in you.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$



      Ice worms.



      ice worm
      source



      These things are big. The really big ones rarely move, their energy mostly coming from varying tidal forces on their bodies. Very occasionally they do. When they do, stuff shakes topside over a large area.



      These big ice worms leave tunnels that gradually fill back in. The presence of these tunnels can be helpful for a fiction or game. Big ice worms start as smaller ice worms. Your guide can tell worm size by the shaking. The big ones are deep, and nothing to worry about. The little ones sometimes shake even more than the big ones, and those you do need to worry about. They are shaking things more because they are right underneath you, and possibly interested in you.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered yesterday









      WillkWillk

      111k26207462




      111k26207462







      • 3




        $begingroup$
        I like this answer, and it terrifies me to no end. It also suggests that an entire ecosystem would exist on this world, perhaps with some creatures living primarily on or near the surface.
        $endgroup$
        – MrSpudtastic
        yesterday







      • 4




        $begingroup$
        So it's like Dune, but the worms are actually plausible.
        $endgroup$
        – Azor Ahai
        yesterday












      • 3




        $begingroup$
        I like this answer, and it terrifies me to no end. It also suggests that an entire ecosystem would exist on this world, perhaps with some creatures living primarily on or near the surface.
        $endgroup$
        – MrSpudtastic
        yesterday







      • 4




        $begingroup$
        So it's like Dune, but the worms are actually plausible.
        $endgroup$
        – Azor Ahai
        yesterday







      3




      3




      $begingroup$
      I like this answer, and it terrifies me to no end. It also suggests that an entire ecosystem would exist on this world, perhaps with some creatures living primarily on or near the surface.
      $endgroup$
      – MrSpudtastic
      yesterday





      $begingroup$
      I like this answer, and it terrifies me to no end. It also suggests that an entire ecosystem would exist on this world, perhaps with some creatures living primarily on or near the surface.
      $endgroup$
      – MrSpudtastic
      yesterday





      4




      4




      $begingroup$
      So it's like Dune, but the worms are actually plausible.
      $endgroup$
      – Azor Ahai
      yesterday




      $begingroup$
      So it's like Dune, but the worms are actually plausible.
      $endgroup$
      – Azor Ahai
      yesterday











      13












      $begingroup$

      Phase Changes Within the Sheet Itself



      So, ice isn't a singular material and can exist in any of 11 unique forms each with different pressure and temperature requirements. On a planet with a 100km thick blanket of ice, the ice in the middle and bottom layers would very likely be subjected to many extremes of pressure.



      The Many Phases of Ice



      Your "ice quakes" could be ice reacting to changes in form (almost all of which include a molecular realignment in the crystal structure) due to pressure changes within the ice sheet. These would cascade out quickly from the "epicenter" as the pressure gradient forces nearby ice to crack and realign itself in response to changes in pressure or even creating thin layers of melt between the sheets where the ice can "slip past" itself. The top layer of ice need not even be very involved here, as changes in the lower and middle layers of the ice sheet would send shock waves which would travel quickly through the thick solid "cap" on your planet and the thin "melt layers" could let much of the surface move independently from the ice under it. Combined with some of the other answers such as tidal forces or geothermal activity, this could easily explain anything you need about the geology of the planet.



      In addition, while most ice has a lower density than water and floats on top of it, many of the more exotic forms which might be formed in your ice sheet could easily be more dense than the water, working themselves down through the ice sheet over many years until they "rain down" through the liquid layer onto the rocky floor below, only to eventually reheat via geothermal radiation and melt, eventually finding their way back into the ice sheet.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      John Kossa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






      $endgroup$








      • 1




        $begingroup$
        Great first answer John Kossa. Welcome to the site, please take the tour and read up in our help centre about how we work: help center
        $endgroup$
        – Agrajag
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        A ballpark estimate is that the the pressure at the bottom of the ice layer is around 1 GPa, which puts the pressure inside the ice layer right in the middle of that complicated mess of phase changes. Given a suitable temperature gradient, you could easily get a half-dozen different solid phases of ice all at once.
        $endgroup$
        – Mark
        yesterday















      13












      $begingroup$

      Phase Changes Within the Sheet Itself



      So, ice isn't a singular material and can exist in any of 11 unique forms each with different pressure and temperature requirements. On a planet with a 100km thick blanket of ice, the ice in the middle and bottom layers would very likely be subjected to many extremes of pressure.



      The Many Phases of Ice



      Your "ice quakes" could be ice reacting to changes in form (almost all of which include a molecular realignment in the crystal structure) due to pressure changes within the ice sheet. These would cascade out quickly from the "epicenter" as the pressure gradient forces nearby ice to crack and realign itself in response to changes in pressure or even creating thin layers of melt between the sheets where the ice can "slip past" itself. The top layer of ice need not even be very involved here, as changes in the lower and middle layers of the ice sheet would send shock waves which would travel quickly through the thick solid "cap" on your planet and the thin "melt layers" could let much of the surface move independently from the ice under it. Combined with some of the other answers such as tidal forces or geothermal activity, this could easily explain anything you need about the geology of the planet.



      In addition, while most ice has a lower density than water and floats on top of it, many of the more exotic forms which might be formed in your ice sheet could easily be more dense than the water, working themselves down through the ice sheet over many years until they "rain down" through the liquid layer onto the rocky floor below, only to eventually reheat via geothermal radiation and melt, eventually finding their way back into the ice sheet.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      John Kossa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






      $endgroup$








      • 1




        $begingroup$
        Great first answer John Kossa. Welcome to the site, please take the tour and read up in our help centre about how we work: help center
        $endgroup$
        – Agrajag
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        A ballpark estimate is that the the pressure at the bottom of the ice layer is around 1 GPa, which puts the pressure inside the ice layer right in the middle of that complicated mess of phase changes. Given a suitable temperature gradient, you could easily get a half-dozen different solid phases of ice all at once.
        $endgroup$
        – Mark
        yesterday













      13












      13








      13





      $begingroup$

      Phase Changes Within the Sheet Itself



      So, ice isn't a singular material and can exist in any of 11 unique forms each with different pressure and temperature requirements. On a planet with a 100km thick blanket of ice, the ice in the middle and bottom layers would very likely be subjected to many extremes of pressure.



      The Many Phases of Ice



      Your "ice quakes" could be ice reacting to changes in form (almost all of which include a molecular realignment in the crystal structure) due to pressure changes within the ice sheet. These would cascade out quickly from the "epicenter" as the pressure gradient forces nearby ice to crack and realign itself in response to changes in pressure or even creating thin layers of melt between the sheets where the ice can "slip past" itself. The top layer of ice need not even be very involved here, as changes in the lower and middle layers of the ice sheet would send shock waves which would travel quickly through the thick solid "cap" on your planet and the thin "melt layers" could let much of the surface move independently from the ice under it. Combined with some of the other answers such as tidal forces or geothermal activity, this could easily explain anything you need about the geology of the planet.



      In addition, while most ice has a lower density than water and floats on top of it, many of the more exotic forms which might be formed in your ice sheet could easily be more dense than the water, working themselves down through the ice sheet over many years until they "rain down" through the liquid layer onto the rocky floor below, only to eventually reheat via geothermal radiation and melt, eventually finding their way back into the ice sheet.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      John Kossa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






      $endgroup$



      Phase Changes Within the Sheet Itself



      So, ice isn't a singular material and can exist in any of 11 unique forms each with different pressure and temperature requirements. On a planet with a 100km thick blanket of ice, the ice in the middle and bottom layers would very likely be subjected to many extremes of pressure.



      The Many Phases of Ice



      Your "ice quakes" could be ice reacting to changes in form (almost all of which include a molecular realignment in the crystal structure) due to pressure changes within the ice sheet. These would cascade out quickly from the "epicenter" as the pressure gradient forces nearby ice to crack and realign itself in response to changes in pressure or even creating thin layers of melt between the sheets where the ice can "slip past" itself. The top layer of ice need not even be very involved here, as changes in the lower and middle layers of the ice sheet would send shock waves which would travel quickly through the thick solid "cap" on your planet and the thin "melt layers" could let much of the surface move independently from the ice under it. Combined with some of the other answers such as tidal forces or geothermal activity, this could easily explain anything you need about the geology of the planet.



      In addition, while most ice has a lower density than water and floats on top of it, many of the more exotic forms which might be formed in your ice sheet could easily be more dense than the water, working themselves down through the ice sheet over many years until they "rain down" through the liquid layer onto the rocky floor below, only to eventually reheat via geothermal radiation and melt, eventually finding their way back into the ice sheet.







      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      John Kossa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.









      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer






      New contributor




      John Kossa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.









      answered yesterday









      John KossaJohn Kossa

      1912




      1912




      New contributor




      John Kossa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.





      New contributor





      John Kossa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






      John Kossa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.







      • 1




        $begingroup$
        Great first answer John Kossa. Welcome to the site, please take the tour and read up in our help centre about how we work: help center
        $endgroup$
        – Agrajag
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        A ballpark estimate is that the the pressure at the bottom of the ice layer is around 1 GPa, which puts the pressure inside the ice layer right in the middle of that complicated mess of phase changes. Given a suitable temperature gradient, you could easily get a half-dozen different solid phases of ice all at once.
        $endgroup$
        – Mark
        yesterday












      • 1




        $begingroup$
        Great first answer John Kossa. Welcome to the site, please take the tour and read up in our help centre about how we work: help center
        $endgroup$
        – Agrajag
        yesterday










      • $begingroup$
        A ballpark estimate is that the the pressure at the bottom of the ice layer is around 1 GPa, which puts the pressure inside the ice layer right in the middle of that complicated mess of phase changes. Given a suitable temperature gradient, you could easily get a half-dozen different solid phases of ice all at once.
        $endgroup$
        – Mark
        yesterday







      1




      1




      $begingroup$
      Great first answer John Kossa. Welcome to the site, please take the tour and read up in our help centre about how we work: help center
      $endgroup$
      – Agrajag
      yesterday




      $begingroup$
      Great first answer John Kossa. Welcome to the site, please take the tour and read up in our help centre about how we work: help center
      $endgroup$
      – Agrajag
      yesterday












      $begingroup$
      A ballpark estimate is that the the pressure at the bottom of the ice layer is around 1 GPa, which puts the pressure inside the ice layer right in the middle of that complicated mess of phase changes. Given a suitable temperature gradient, you could easily get a half-dozen different solid phases of ice all at once.
      $endgroup$
      – Mark
      yesterday




      $begingroup$
      A ballpark estimate is that the the pressure at the bottom of the ice layer is around 1 GPa, which puts the pressure inside the ice layer right in the middle of that complicated mess of phase changes. Given a suitable temperature gradient, you could easily get a half-dozen different solid phases of ice all at once.
      $endgroup$
      – Mark
      yesterday











      4












      $begingroup$

      Plate Tectonics



      Under the ice there is water (maybe) and under the water, there is rock, then under the rock there is a molten core, this allows for tectonic plates to move and shift like it does here. The same things that cause earthquakes on earth will cause earthquakes on your planet.



      The water under the plates has a dampening effect on the ice, so the ice shakes, but doesn't break or shift.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$

















        4












        $begingroup$

        Plate Tectonics



        Under the ice there is water (maybe) and under the water, there is rock, then under the rock there is a molten core, this allows for tectonic plates to move and shift like it does here. The same things that cause earthquakes on earth will cause earthquakes on your planet.



        The water under the plates has a dampening effect on the ice, so the ice shakes, but doesn't break or shift.






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$















          4












          4








          4





          $begingroup$

          Plate Tectonics



          Under the ice there is water (maybe) and under the water, there is rock, then under the rock there is a molten core, this allows for tectonic plates to move and shift like it does here. The same things that cause earthquakes on earth will cause earthquakes on your planet.



          The water under the plates has a dampening effect on the ice, so the ice shakes, but doesn't break or shift.






          share|improve this answer









          $endgroup$



          Plate Tectonics



          Under the ice there is water (maybe) and under the water, there is rock, then under the rock there is a molten core, this allows for tectonic plates to move and shift like it does here. The same things that cause earthquakes on earth will cause earthquakes on your planet.



          The water under the plates has a dampening effect on the ice, so the ice shakes, but doesn't break or shift.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered yesterday









          MathaddictMathaddict

          4,082531




          4,082531





















              1












              $begingroup$

              Air pockets underneath the ice?
              They are compressible, and allow the water below to move and splash around to form waves. Add in tidal and Coriolis effects, and you get regular localised icequakes as the water moves the air around






              share|improve this answer









              $endgroup$

















                1












                $begingroup$

                Air pockets underneath the ice?
                They are compressible, and allow the water below to move and splash around to form waves. Add in tidal and Coriolis effects, and you get regular localised icequakes as the water moves the air around






                share|improve this answer









                $endgroup$















                  1












                  1








                  1





                  $begingroup$

                  Air pockets underneath the ice?
                  They are compressible, and allow the water below to move and splash around to form waves. Add in tidal and Coriolis effects, and you get regular localised icequakes as the water moves the air around






                  share|improve this answer









                  $endgroup$



                  Air pockets underneath the ice?
                  They are compressible, and allow the water below to move and splash around to form waves. Add in tidal and Coriolis effects, and you get regular localised icequakes as the water moves the air around







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered yesterday









                  nzamannzaman

                  9,77411647




                  9,77411647



























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