Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Apr 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010ttt..work...40s&link_type=abstract
Through Time; A Workshop On Titan's Past, Present and Future, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, April 6th - 8th, 2010. Edited b
Mathematics
Logic
Scientific paper
The Cassini spacecraft has been observing the Saturn system for almost 6 years. After more than 60 Titan flybys, several observations suggest that cryovolcanism has been operating in a geologically recent past. First, the lifetime of methane in Titan's atmosphere is on the order of 10 Myrs. Even though lakes, potentially filled with liquid hydrocarbons, have been identified on Titan's north and south poles (Stofan et al., Nature 2007, Brown et al., Nature, 2008), they do not constitute a large enough reservoir able to replenish the atmosphere over 100s of Myrs (Lorenz et al., PSS, 2008). Second the presence of 40Ar, which is a product of the decay of 40K, associated to the small amount of 36Ar suggests exchange between the interior and the surface. Third, the isotopic ratio of 13C/12C in CH4 and 15N/14N in N2 suggest that nitrogen has escaped and was present very early in Titan's atmosphere whereas Carbon was recently released in the atmosphere. Fourth, radar and optical observations by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) of the Titan's surface have revealed features resembling volcanic constructs and volcanic flows such as the large areas of Tui region and Hotei region at the southern edge of Xanadu. Another construct, much smaller in size, has been observed by both radar and the VIMS (LeCorre et al., PSS, 2009). Finally, both the radar and the VIMS have detected mountains which are related to geological activity in the lithosphere. This paper addresses several processes related to cryovolcanism and activity including convection processes in the ice crust, melting of ice and formation of cryovolcanic magmas, and cooling of cryovolcanic flows. It also describes relationships between the convection processes and the formation of mountains. Finally, it discusses the observations suggesting present day activity. Acknowledgments: This work has been carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory-California Institute of Technology, under contract with NASA.
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