Possible New Evidence for Subsurface Ocean on Titan

[paulscottanderson]

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features/feature20070601c.cfm<br /><br />http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huygens/SEM17F9RR1F_0.html<br /><br />http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn12041-mysterious-signal-hints-at-subsurface-ocean-on-titan.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="1"><span style="font-weight:bold" class="Apple-style-span">-----------------</span></font></p><p><font size="1"><span style="font-weight:bold" class="Apple-style-span">The Meridiani Journal</span><br />a chronicle of planetary exploration<br />web.me.com/meridianijournal</font> </p> </div>

 

[3488]

Hi paulscottanderson.<br /><br />Thank you. I am not entirely surprised by this. I think we can rule out fresh water,<br />but in the suspected cases of subsurface water under the ground on Europa, Ganymede & Callisto,<br />it is likely to be rich in salts, acids & sulphur, maybe in the<br />case of Titan Ammonia.<br /><br />Do not forget. Cassini is carrying out a close night time pass of Titan tomorrow.<br /><br />Cassini will observe the occultation of the Sun, as well as imaging to see if lightning can be seen.<br /><br />Andrew Brown.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[franontanaya]

That would fit with the possible water and ammonia volcanoes spotted in some photos.<br /><br />I wonder, if the cryovolcanos capture inside the ice some of the complex surface chemicals, what kind of "metamorphism" would them go through when that ice sinks below the crust and pressure increases. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[h2ouniverse]

Thanks for bringing another evidence for my alias. <br /><br />Watery regards,

 

[h2ouniverse]

To me there is no doubt they will make their way.<br /><br />FranOnt.,<br />Good point!<br />Btw, I even wonder whether a part of the methane/ethane lakes (e.g. the equatorial ones) is not sunk into mere cracks of the crust instead of evaporating. Especially ethane and heavier compounds, that are heavier than H20. <br />Regards

 

[h2ouniverse]

Andrew,<br />I know many regard oceans with an ice floor as of low interest. A hot high-pressure ice insulate the oceans of Ganymede, Callisto, Titan, may be Triton, from the rocky cores. Or do they?<br />There is no such thing in nature as a perfectly tight envelope. Should not we expect these shells of hot ice to be fractured, due to tidal forces and to the venting of gases from the rocky cores? Isn't it possible for volcanoes to erupt at the rock-to-hot ice interface? And for the products of such eruptions to make their way to the ocean and bring the nutrients to life?<br /><br />Best regards<br /><br />Joel