I. Thermal evolution of Ganymede and implications for surface features. II. Magnetohydrodynamic constraints on deep zonal flow in the giant planets. III. A fast finite-element algorithm for two-dimensional photoclinometry

Thermal evolution of Ganymede from a hot start is modeled. On cooling ice I forms above the liquid H2O and dense ices at higher entropy below it. A novel diapiric instability is proposed to occur if the ocean thins enough, mixing these layers and perhaps leading to resurfacing and groove formation. Rising warm-ice diapirs may cause a dramatic heat pulse and fracturing at the surface, and provide material for surface flows. Timing of the pulse depends on ice rheology but could agree with crater-density dates for resurfacing. Origins of the Ganymede-Callisto dichotomy in light of the model are discussed. Based on estimates of the conductivity of H2 (Jupiter, Saturn) and H2O (Uranus, Neptune), the zonal winds of the giant planets will, if they penetrate below the visible atmosphere, interact with the magnetic field well outside the metallic core. The scaling argument is supported by a model with zonal velocity constant on concentric cylinders, the Lorentz torque on each balanced by viscous stresses. The problem of two-dimensional photoclinometry, i.e. reconstruction of a surface from its image, is formulated in terms of finite elements and a fast algorithm using Newton-SOR iteration accelerated by multigridding is presented