[X] My Assistant

[titanicrivers]

Titan topics @ AGU 2008

The following links originally posted by E. Lakdawalla in her Planetary Society blog of 12-8-08 takes one to the interesting poster and platform session abstracts to be presented at the AGU this week. Lots of thought provoking topics covering Titan's atmosphere and surface!
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/sessions5?meeti...amp;maxhits=400
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/sessions5?meeti...amp;maxhits=400
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/sessions5?meeti...amp;maxhits=400

[Juramike]

I do like the readjustment idea.

I've wondered about the apparent lower terrain (thus lakes) in the North compared to the South and if it fits in with E-W tectonic ridges. The two elements could be related. (And Xanadu, the "wierd continent" is also sitting on the Equator - is it denser than normal and in it's preferred equatorial placement or just a coincidence of where it happens to be?)

While Titan seems to lack huge cryovolcanic provinces (again, except maybe Xanadu), there seem to be a lot of weird funkyness that hints at a hot interior and active processes:

• the wierd little oval bloop mountains in the sand seas
• hard to explain things like the Evil Eye of Quivira, Coates facula, and friends
• the apparent extruded shape of Sotra Facula and the ghosts of Sotra Facula
• the black smokers of Omacatl Macula and Elpis Macula and the S Senkyo inky (and maybe a N Belet inky?)
• the domes near Menrva (and inside Menrva crater - so it came up post-impact!)

I don't easily see how the features above could have been easily caused by wind or rain. I really favor a hot interior model. Maybe not active tectonics, but definitely more than just and sand and organics moving around.

-Mike

[belleraphon1]

[*]the wierd little oval bloop mountains in the sand seas
[*]hard to explain things like the Evil Eye of Quivira, Coates facula, and friends
[*]the apparent extruded shape of Sotra Facula and the ghosts of Sotra Facula
[*]the black smokers of Omacatl Macula and Elpis Macula and the S Senkyo inky (and maybe a N Belet inky?)
[*]the domes near Menrva (and inside Menrva crater - so it came up post-impact!)
[/list]

All... saw this in a San Francisco Chronicle by David Perlman

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../MNAC14PU10.DTL

Quote from Robert Nelson.....

"The radar evidence pushed the whole concept of cryovolcanism over the top," he said.
They revealed very distinct signs of steep-sided hills topped with craters -"true volcanic morphology," as Nelson put it - rising above large areas of sand dunes made from varied hydrocarbons."

Is this just a reporters misinterpretation of something said or have suggestive looking volcanic cones really been seen in the sand dune areas?

Mike?

Craig