We suggest that a crack that developed into a wedge-shaped band within the icy crust of Europa (at ~28¿S, 170¿W Schenk and McKinnon, 1989, Figure 4; Prockter et al., 1999, Figure 1>) originated under an applied compressive stress through the operation of a frictional sliding mechanism. We analyze this suggestion using a scale-independent, sliding crack model and obtain an estimate of the maximum compressive stress to initiate the crack that compares reasonably well with earlier estimates <Helfenstein and Parmentier, 1985; McEwen, 1986; Greenberg et al., 1998> of Europan crustal stresses that are based upon elastic deformation of a shell. We then show through an application of both power law dislocation creep and diffusion creep that colder, near-surface Europan ice appears to be capable of supporting the deduced stresses with little relaxation over a period from 104 to 105 years.