Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5487019 | Icarus | 2017 | 30 Pages |
Abstract
Here we report the discovery of a global series of topographic lows on Saturn's satellite Enceladus that we interpret to show that this synchronously locked moon has undergone TPW by â¼55° about the tidal axis. We use improved topographic data from the spherical harmonic expansion of Cassini limb and stereogrammetric measurements to characterize regional topography over the surface of Enceladus. We identify a group of nearly antipodal basins orthogonal to a basin chain tracing a non-equatorial circumglobal belt across Enceladus' surface. We argue that the belt and the antipodal regions are fossil remnants of earlier equator and poles, respectively. We argue that these lows arise from isostasic compensation and that their pattern reflects spatial variations in internal dynamics of the ice shell. Our hypothesis is consistent with a variety of geological features visible in Cassini images.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Space and Planetary Science
Authors
Radwan Tajeddine, Krista M. Soderlund, Peter C. Thomas, Paul Helfenstein, Matthew M. Hedman, Joseph A. Burns, Paul M. Schenk,