Titan's topography, strange.... |
Titan's topography, strange.... |
Apr 12 2009, 12:44 PM
Post
#1
|
|
Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2785 Joined: 10-November 06 From: Pasadena, CA Member No.: 1345 |
Recent article in Science by Zebker et al.:
Zebker et al. Science in press, "Size and Shape of Saturn's Moon Titan". doi: 10.1126/science.1168905 (published online April 2, 2009) Link to abstract (pay-for article): http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1168905 Article on spaceref discusses this paper: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=27912 Figure 3 from the Science article is a global elevation map relative to barycenter. Key points of article:
"Xanadu seems to be systematically lower than other parts of the equatorial belt, and not uplifted like most mountainous areas on Earth." (quote from Fig. 3 caption in article) -Mike -------------------- Some higher resolution images available at my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/
|
|
|
Apr 21 2009, 03:06 AM
Post
#2
|
|
Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2785 Joined: 10-November 06 From: Pasadena, CA Member No.: 1345 |
If Xanadu is "self-clearing" then the dune particles must be going around the southern edge of Xanadu. (The dune pattern in W Xanadu indicates a southern flow)
So you'd expect to see an ISS-dark and RADAR-dark dune sea somewhere along the southern margin...but you don't. One possibility is if there is a temperate/polar bright deposit that forms faster than the dune seas move. So instead of dark dune seas forming, there are bright smooth deposits that form in the temperate regions in south-central Xanadu. In effect the dune seas get "tamped down" and covered up by an ISS-bright atmospheric deposit. So limited "equatorial dunes" in the temperate regions, the deposit seals up the sand supply. So in the big picture of timing of features on Titan, that would imply: Temperate/polar atmospheric deposits>dune seas>other process (save cryovolcanic outlflows) This seems to fit not only Xanadu but the rest of the temperate regions in general. I'll bet that the normalized brightness of Mezzoramia is still not as dark as that of Shangri-La. (Another piece of evidence, look at craterforms: not much in polar/temperate regions, some in dune seas, but pretty much everything exposed in Xanadu) -------------------- Some higher resolution images available at my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 26th September 2024 - 12:46 PM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |