Titans riverbeds show a terrain built more like Mars than Earth
18 May 2017
NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/University of Idaho
By Leah Crane
Rivers run through Titan, and they take a different type of path than those on Earth or ancient Mars. Comparing riverbeds on the three worlds in our solar system that have them show that Earth is the odd world out.
Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is one of the more mysterious worlds in our solar system. It has methane rivers, clouds and haze, mountains and valleys – all of which superficially remind observers of Earth. But how all of those features came to be is not well understood.
“Rivers and topography are right there at the intersection of what’s happening on the inside of the planet and the surface,” says Benjamin Black at City University of New York. “If you can figure out what’s happening at that interface, then you can access this whole rich history.”
Studying rivers on Earth or long-dry riverbeds on Mars is relatively easy: satellites surround both planets, constantly taking high-resolution pictures.
More:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2131672-titans-riverbeds-show-a-terrain-built-more-like-mars-than-earth/?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=ILC&utm_campaign=webpush&cmpid=ILC%257CNSNS%257C2016-GLOBAL-webpush-Titan
