Other
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p21b..03m&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P21B-03
Other
5709 Composition (1060), 6207 Comparative Planetology
Scientific paper
It has often been noted that the compositional gradient of the Galilean satellites may provide a link to the environment in which they formed (e.g., Estrada et al. 2008). The similarities in the bulk properties of the regular satellites of Jupiter and Saturn favor a unified framework for their origin; yet, the inner, icy satellites of Saturn exhibit no such trend. We set-aside for now the inner satellites, and focus instead on the large, outer regular satellites of each satellite system. We seek to account for the masses and compositions of Ganymede and Callisto in the case of Jupiter, and Titan and Iapetus, for Saturn. For objects the size of Iapetus or larger, the porosity is likely to be small not only because the internal pressure is large enough to close pore spaces, but also because the presence of short-lived radioactive nuclides heats the interior causing ice to flow. For such satellites, densities can be interpreted in terms of rock/ice fractions. Iapetus' low density, and correspondingly low rock/ice fraction, presents a puzzle when compared to the other three satellites, each of which is roughly 50% ice and rock. In turn, the rock/ice fractions for Ganymede, Titan and Callisto are comparable to that of (captured) Saturnian irregular satellite Phoebe. Progress in understanding these observations requires tying the properties of solar nebula planetesimals to subnebula satellitesimals. We argue that planetesimal break-up following giant planet formation, in tandem with delivery via ablation of planetesimal fragments crossing the subdisk can provide a framework for understanding the mass budget and compositions of regular satellites. In particular, ablation can result in fractionation, and account for the observed density of Iapetus provided this satellite formed in situ (Mosqueira and Estrada, 2005). For this to work (solar nebula) planetesimals of size 10 km or larger may need to be at least partially differentiated, which argues that the first generation of planetesimals in the Jupiter-Saturn region (and possibly beyond) incorporated significant quantities of 26Al. Acknowledgements: This work is supported by PG&G and OPR NASA grants.
Estrada P.
Mosqueira Ignacio
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