The ammonia-water system at high pressures: Implications for the methane of Titan

In the last part, the methane clathrate behavior within the different layer of Titan's interior is investigated. Due to the density contrasts between methane clathrates and ices, it will be shown that methane is certainly trapped within large clathrate reservoirs below the upper conductive lid of Titan. Further ascent and dissociation of clathrate into gaseous methane + ice must then be associated with tectonic and/or volcanic processes which allow rapid ascent without cooling of clathrates. Indeed, the dissociation is only possible at very shallow depth only if hot material from the ice layer can reach the surface rapidly.