Labyrinth terrain on Titan

Malaska, Michael J.; Radebaugh, J.; Lopes, R. M. C.; Mitchell, K. L.; Verlander, T.; Schoenfeld, Ashley; Florence, Meghan; Gall, Alice Le; Solomonidou, Anezina; Hayes, A. G.; Birch, Samuel; Janssen, M. A.; Schurmeier, L. R.; Cornet, T.; Ahrens, Caitlin; Farr, T. G.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113764

Cited by 33 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…This unit is interpreted (Lopes et al., 2020; Malaska et al., 2020; Malaska et al., 2016b; Moore et al., 2014) as uplands with canyons or valleys containing radar‐dark floors or fill (Figure ), i.e., as dissected plateaux (due to generally high elevations) or remnant ridges of eroded organic materials that then release such materials into the plains and downstream basins.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphological Analysis of the Southwestern Margin of Xanadu, Titan: Insights on Tectonics

et al. 2020

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Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is currently identified as one of the few extraterrestrial bodies whose surface supports standing liquid bodies. It is also considered, along with Earth and early Mars, as one of the three solar system bodies to have had an active hydrologic cycle (Hayes, 2016; Hayes et al., 2018). Furthermore, Titan's atmosphere is the second densest amongst the terrestrial planets and icy satellites. Present-day surface-atmosphere interactions make aeolian, fluvial, pluvial, and lacustrine processes prominent on a scale seen only on Earth (Lopes et al., 2010, 2020). The satellite's atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen (2 N ∼97%), methane (4 CH ∼1.4% in the troposphere, 5% at the surface), and hydrogen (2 H ∼0.2%), with traces of more complex hydrocarbons, nitriles, oxygen compounds, and argon as analyzed by the Huygens probe (Coustenis, 2005; Coustenis et al., 2010; Dalton et al., 2010). Under Titan's surface conditions (pressure ∼1.5 bars; temperature ∼91-95 K), methane (4 CH) and ethane (2 6 C H) are both able to condense out of the atmosphere and precipitate to the surface, where the fluid runoff concentrates, incises channels, and

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphological Analysis of the Southwestern Margin of Xanadu, Titan: Insights on Tectonics

et al. 2020

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“…Recent work has suggested that the observable surface is likely dominated by solid organic materials derived from atmospheric photochemistry that make their way to the surface and are further physically processed with occasional patches of icy bedrock (e.g. [33,104,177,179,234,258,259]), but this is still a subject of intense debate. The longevity of the Cassini mission also led to new insights into the structure and composition of Titan's interior and the exchange processes with the surface and atmosphere, confirming notably the presence of a global, subsurface salt-containing ocean (e.g.…”

Section: Context and Summary Of A New Mission's Science Goals And Conceptsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Valley networks are distributed at all latitudes [39,130,152,161] and have a wide variety of morphologies: canyons and highly dissected plateaus at the poles [179,222], dendritic and rectilinear networks globally distributed [40], meandering features in the south polar region [28,176], and braided rivers at the equator [167]. Near the poles, most of the fluvial networks are connected to empty or filled lacustrine features (cf.…”

Section: Current Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)

et al. 2022

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In response to ESA’s “Voyage 2050” announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturn’s largest moon Titan. Titan, a “world with two oceans”, is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titan’s remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a “heavy” drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titan’s northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary in terms of timing (with possible mission timing overlap), locations, and science goals with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titan’s equatorial regions, in the mid-2030s.

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“…Hence, extracting information about the lower atmosphere and the surface of Titan from near-IR spectra requires a good understanding of the methane and haze contributions to the opacity. For this reason, we use a RT code whose characteristics, methodology, and several applications on VIMS data are presented in Hirtzig et al (2013), Lopes et al (2016), Malaska et al (2020) and Solomonidou et al (2014Solomonidou et al ( , 2016Solomonidou et al ( , 2018Solomonidou et al ( , 2020. We can estimate the atmospheric contribution to the VIMS data and extract meaningful surface information by using Huygens and Cassini inputs and other parameters, such as laboratory data, that simulate Titan's conditions.…”

Section: Vims Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

The chemical composition of impact craters on Titan

Solomonidou

Neish

Coustenis

et al. 2020

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We investigate the spectral behavior of nine Titan impact craters in order to constrain their composition. Past studies that have examined the chemical composition of impact craters on Titan have either used qualitative comparisons between craters or combined all craters into a single unit, rather than separating them by geographic location and/or degradation state. Here, we use Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) data and a radiative transfer code to estimate the atmospheric contribution to the data, extract the surface albedos of the impact craters, and constrain their composition by using a library of candidate Titan materials, including essentially water ice, tholin, a dark component, and other possible ices at different grain sizes. Following a general characterization of the impact craters, we study two impact crater subunits, the “crater floor” and the “ejecta blanket”. The results show that the equatorial dune craters – Selk, Ksa, Guabonito, and the crater on Santorini Facula – appear to be purely composed of organic material (mainly an unknown dark component). Titan’s midlatitude plain craters – Afekan, Soi, and Forseti – along with Menrva and Sinlap, are enriched in water ice within an organic-based mixture. This follows the geographic pattern observed in our previous work with VIMS data, where the uppermost layers of the midlatitude alluvial fans, undifferentiated plains, and labyrinth terrains were found to consist of a mixture of organics and water ice, while the equatorial plains, hummocky terrains, and dunes were found to consist of a mixture of dark material and tholins. Furthermore, we found that the addition of some form of ice improves the fit in the ejecta spectra of Afekan and Sinlap craters. We find no indication for the presence of either NH3 or CO2 ice. Our main results agree with an existing Titan surface evolution scenario, wherein the impact cratering process produces a mixture of organic material and water ice, which is later “cleaned” through fluvial erosion in the midlatitude plains. This cleaning process does not appear to operate in the equatorial regions, which are quickly covered by a thin layer of sand sediment (with the exception of the freshest crater on Titan, Sinlap). Thus, it appears that active processes are working to shape the surface of Titan, and it remains a dynamic world in the present day.

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Labyrinth terrain on Titan

Cited by 33 publications

References 87 publications

Geomorphological Analysis of the Southwestern Margin of Xanadu, Titan: Insights on Tectonics

Geomorphological Analysis of the Southwestern Margin of Xanadu, Titan: Insights on Tectonics

Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)

The chemical composition of impact craters on Titan

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