The Sand Seas of Titan: Cassini RADAR Observations of Longitudinal Dunes
- Creators
-
Lorenz, R. D.
- Elachi, C.
- Muhleman, D.
Abstract
The most recent Cassini RADAR images of Titan show widespread regions (up to 1500 kilometers by 200 kilometers) of near-parallel radar-dark linear features that appear to be seas of longitudinal dunes similar to those seen in the Namib desert on Earth. The Ku-band (2.17-centimeter wavelength) images show ∼100-meter ridges consistent with duneforms and reveal flow interactions with underlying hills. The distribution and orientation of the dunes support a model of fluctuating surface winds of ∼0.5 meter per second resulting from the combination of an eastward flow with a variable tidal wind. The existence of dunes also requires geological processes that create sand-sized (100- to 300-micrometer) particulates and a lack of persistent equatorial surface liquids to act as sand traps.
Additional Information
© 2006 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received 30 November 2005; accepted 22 February 2006. We gratefully acknowledge those who designed, developed, and operate the Cassini/Huygens mission. The Cassini/Huygens Project is a joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA.Attached Files
Supplemental Material - Lorenz.SOM.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 51871
- DOI
- 10.1126/science.1123257
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20141117-150528360
- NASA/JPL/Caltech
- European Space Agency (ESA)
- Italian Space Agency (ASI)
- Created
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2014-11-18Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-10Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences