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Cryovolcanism on Titan: New results from Cassini RADAR and VIMS
Barnes, J. W.; Janssen, M. A.; Lunine, J. I. +13 more
The existence of cryovolcanic features on Titan has been the subject of some controversy. Here we use observations from the Cassini RADAR, including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging, radiometry, and topographic data as well as compositional data from the Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) to reexamine several putative cryovolca…
Convection-driven compaction as a possible origin of Enceladus's long wavelength topography
Besserer, J.; Nimmo, F.; Roberts, J. H. +1 more
The long wavelength surface topography of Enceladus shows depressions about 1 km in depth and ∼102 km wide. One possible cause of this topography is spatially variable amounts of compaction of an initially porous ice shell, driven by spatial variations in heat flux. Here, we show that the heat flux variations associated with convection …
A 1-D model of physical chemistry in Saturn's inner magnetosphere
Delamere, P. A.; Bagenal, F.; Fleshman, B. L. +1 more
Water vapor spewed out of Enceladus' geysers spreads across the Saturn system through dissociation, charge exchange, and neutral-neutral collisions. The combined effects of impact ionization by suprathermal electrons, charge-exchange between ions and neutrals, and radial transport of the plasma produce the observed distribution of ions and their t…
Estimates of fluvial erosion on Titan from sinuosity of lake shorelines
Perron, J. Taylor; Tewelde, Yodit; Ford, Peter +2 more
Titan has few impact craters, suggesting that its surface is geologically young. Titan's surface also has abundant landforms interpreted to be fluvial networks. Here we evaluate whether fluvial erosion has caused significant resurfacing by estimating the cumulative erosion around the margins of polar lakes. A scarcity of detailed topographic data …
Correction to: "Geophysical implications of the long-wavelength topography of the Saturnian satellites"
Nimmo, F.; Thomas, P. C.; Bills, B. G.