Abstract

Cassini's Titan Radar Mapper imaged the surface of Saturn's moon Titan on its February 2005 fly-by (denoted T₃), collecting high-resolution synthetic-aperture radar and larger-scale radiometry and scatterometry data. These data provide the first definitive identification of impact craters on the surface of Titan, networks of fluvial channels and surficial dark streaks that may be longitudinal dunes. Here we describe this great diversity of landforms. We conclude that much of the surface thus far imaged by radar of the haze-shrouded Titan is very young, with persistent geologic activity.

1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
2. Proxemy Research, Bowie, Maryland 20715, USA
3. US Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, USA
4. Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
5. IFSI-INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
6. Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona 85719, USA
7. Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
8. Goddard Institute for Space Studies, National Aeronautics and Space Administration New York, New York 10025, USA
9. Observatoire de Paris, 92195 Meudon, France
10. Alenia Aerospazio, 00131 Rome, Italy
11. Facoltá di Ingegneria, 80125 Naples, Italy
12. Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
13. Universitá La Sapienza, 00184 Rome, Italy
14. INFM and Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica, Politecnico di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy

Correspondence to: S. Wall¹ Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to S.W. (Email: steve.wall@jpl.nasa.gov).

Received 7 October 2005 | Accepted 4 April 2006

MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS

These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.