[X] My Assistant

[ngunn]

Although very properly linked via 'Conferences and Publications' this is an exclusively Titan topic so it seems right to locate any discussion of the papers here.

For convenience, the link again: http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...ic=5857&hl=

I was struck by this sentence from the concluding section of the second paper (Tobie et. al.):

"Even though the interior is mostly composed of water ice and various hydrates, the near-surface is probably dominated by organic materials. Interaction of liquid methane and other liquid hydrocarbons with such solid organic deposits probably shaped the landscape of Titan. Water ice and hydrated materials should dominate only in cryovolcanically active provinces."

I would add that to resupply the atmospheric methane the 'cryovolcanism' need not even be sufficiently violent to bring water ice all the way to the surface. On this assessment whatever forms the bright highlands of Titan is not water ice.