Titan continues to present that icy worlds can be as active as our warm , snug satellite . Saturn ’s Sun Myung Moon has not only got a hydrocarbon ocean and a rich atmosphere , the latest notice show canyon C of meters deep .
An external chemical group of astronomers , led by Valerio Poggiali of the University of Rome , looked at radar data point collected by theCassini spacecraftin May 2013 . The radar is used to peer through the lunar month ’s thick air , and in this showcase , read the altitude of the feature article .
The canyons have a depth between 240 to 570 meters ( 790 to1,870 feet ) and are quite narrow , less than a km ( less than half a mile ) across . They are very usurious , with slope at over 40 stage . At the bottom of the canyon , researchers found the trenchant signature of liquid hydrocarbons , which is the component of the tumid oceans that cover up Titan .
The determination , published inGeophysical Research Letter , show that some of the liquidity is at sea degree around Ligeia Mare , while the residuum course from tributaries above sea level . The researchers are shy how these canon came to be . Fast or slow erosion , sudden terrain uplift , and changes in sea levels are all being considered .
" It ’s likely that a combination of these military unit contributed to the formation of the deep canyons , but at present it ’s not readable to what degree each was regard . What is unclouded is that any description of Titan ’s geologic evolution needs to be able to explicate how the canyon make there , " said Poggiali in astatement .
On our planet , there are just as many way for canon to form . The most famous is probably the Grand Canyon carved by the Colorado River , which is an exemplar of terrain uplifting . Intermitting flowing and dim sculpture can be picture in the Fish River Canyon in Namibia as well , and there are thousands of other examples around the world .
" solid ground is warm and bumpy , with rivers of weewee , while Titan is cold and icy , with rivers of methane . And yet it ’s singular that we rule such like feature of speech on both man , " said co - author Alex Hayes , a Cassini microwave radar team fellow at Cornell University , Ithaca , New York .
The team will use further observations to study more regions of Titan , and hopefully crack the mystery of this fascinating moon .
