The Role of Titan's Atmosphere in Removing Heat from a Cryolava Flow

Details The Role of Titan's Atmosphere in Removing Heat from a Cryolava Flow The Role of Titan's Atmosphere in Removing Heat from a Cryolava Flow

Oct 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.6305d&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #63.05; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.543

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

If cryovolcanism is taking place on Titan, then the style of volcanic activity is unique in the Solar System. Nowhere else is lava at such low temperature ( 250 K, if ammonia-water) erupted onto a body with a dense atmosphere. Lava flow mobility and final morphology, regardless of composition, depend on how flow fluidity changes with time. As heat is lost, crystals form and viscosity increases. The mechanisms of heat loss are (1) conduction (Fcond) to the lava flow substrate; (2) radiation (Frad) from the upper surface; and (3) atmospheric convection (Fcon) which may be either forced (Fforce) or natural (Fnat). We have quantified heat loss from upper surfaces of "cryolava” on Titan as a function of flow surface temperature. We find that convection (we use the larger value of Fforce and Fnat) dominates over radiation, and heat loss is strongly dependent on wind velocity (W). For the Huygens landing site, where W might be 0.3 m s-1 (see [1]), total heat loss ranges from 1.25 kW m-2 at 250 K to 13 W m-2 at 100 K. At all temperatures, Fnat dominates convective heat transfer. Frad is the least effective mechanism regardless of W. As W increases, Fforce takes over as the dominant term over an increasing surface temperature range. Eventually, when W = 1 m s-1, the dominant heat removal mechanism is Fforce from 100 K to 250 K. In comparison, heat loss from terrestrial silicate flows (erupted at 1430 K) is dominated by radiation until surface temperatures drop to 450 K, some 150 K above typical background. This work is the first step in modelling the behaviour and detectability of active cryovolcanism on Titan. References: [1] Lorenz, R. D. (2006), Icarus, 182, 559-566. This work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory-California Institute of Technology, under NASA contract.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

The Role of Titan's Atmosphere in Removing Heat from a Cryolava Flow does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with The Role of Titan's Atmosphere in Removing Heat from a Cryolava Flow, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Role of Titan's Atmosphere in Removing Heat from a Cryolava Flow will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1067968