Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Oct 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.0203s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #2.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.409
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Cassini observations of the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus revealed four large linear fractures, or tiger stripes, associated with anomalous heat flow and active plumes. These features are thought to be sites of tidally induced strike-slip and/or open-close motions, similar to motions inferred for fractures on Jupiter's moon Europa. These tectonic motions are likely a result of tidally induced stresses that are exerted on a satellite during its daily orbital cycle around its parent body. In this study, we investigate the tidally driven stress conditions at Enceladus's south polar region for clues about the tiger stripes’ tectonic activity and faulting environment.
Tidal shear stresses drive fault-parallel strike-slip displacements, while normal stresses control a fault's frictional resistance to failure. Accounting for both stress contributions, the Coulomb failure criterion holds that shear failure will occur on optimally oriented fault planes when the applied shear stress exceeds the frictional resistance of a fault. Here we investigate tidally driven stress conditions at Enceladus's south polar region by resolving shear and normal tidal stresses onto the tiger stripe fault system and accounting for normal stress due to the overburden pressure. We compute Coulomb failure conditions to assess failure direction, frequency, and location throughout the Enceladus orbital cycle. Assuming a coefficient of friction appropriate to warm ice (μf = 0.2), our calculations indicate that while the entire system likely remains locked throughout most of the tidal cycle, conditions for shear failure do exist for a brief period near apoapse. The sequence of stress accumulation and release primarily depends on fault orientation, coefficient of friction, and an assumed faulting depth. These analyses may help explain observed plume activity and temperature anomalies at Enceladus's south polar region as related to shear heating and vapor release.
Pappalardo Robert T.
Smith-Konter Bridget
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