ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

The structural effect of salt concentration and freezing rate on icy grains relevant to moons and their ejecta.

Abstract: Icy moons are leading candidates for habitability in our Solar System. Plumes exist on some of these ocean-bearing moons, where ocean material is ejected out into space as ice grains. These ice grains currently provide our best probe of potentially habitable oceans beyond Earth; however, the formation and structure of these icy brine grains are not understood. These grains are known to contain vein structures of salt networks within an ice matrix. We intend to use the unique capabilities of NIMROD to characterise vein materials within icy moon-relevant ice grains, and the degree to which they are segregated from icy matrix material. This will lead to better understanding of the properties of icy moon-relevant ice grains and the conditions under which vein material can form within them.

Public release date: 03 July 2026

Experimenter: Dr Zachary Amato
Experimenter: Dr Daniel Bowron
Local Contact: Dr Tom Headen
Experimenter: Professor Christoph Salzmann
Experimenter: Dr Rachael Hamp
Experimenter: Dr Helen Fraser
Experimenter: Dr Mark Fox-Powell
Experimenter: Dr Hannah Chinnery

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2310484-1

Parent DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2310484

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2310484

Part Number: 1

Date of Experiment: 28 June 2023

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Zachary Amato et al; (2023): The structural effect of salt concentration and freezing rate on icy grains relevant to moons and their ejecta., STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2310484-1