B New Topographic Map of Saturn's Moon Titan Reveals Liquid Flows

[wolram]

Using the now-complete Cassini data set, astronomers have created a new global topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan that has opened new windows into understanding its liquid flows and terrain.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180106190439.htm
I found this fascinating I hope others do.

 

[stefan r]

How does the liquid flow?

 

[Borg]

How does the liquid flow?

What do you mean?

 

[stefan r]

What do you mean?

The article says that all the lakes on Titan have the same altitude. Higher lakes beds are dry. On Earth the oceans are the same level because of straights like Gibraltar or the flow around Antarctica. Isolated bodies of water are above sea level like Lake Ontario, or more rarely, below like the Dead Sea.

 

[Borg]

The article stated that they believe that the lakes are locally connected through underground channels because the higher lakes are not filled.

"We don't see any empty lakes that are below the local filled lakes because, if they did go below that level, they would be filled themselves. This suggests that there's flow in the subsurface and that they are communicating with each other," said Hayes. "It's also telling us that there is liquid hydrocarbon stored on the subsurface of Titan."

 

[r8chard]

Also found here:
https://phys.org/news/2018-01-saturn-moon-titan-sports-earth-like.html

I would assume that the differences between the liquid oceans of Earth and those of Titan have several differences. The different mass of each world of course and the different tidal forces effecting each world's oceans.

Is it confirmed that Titan's liquid is Methane and not Water? Cause you have to figure that liquid Methane is not always going to behave the same as water? And any surprises in the chemical composition of the outer satellite?

 

[newjerseyrunner]

Is it confirmed that Titan's liquid is Methane and not Water? Cause you have to figure that liquid Methane is not always going to behave the same as water? And any surprises in the chemical composition of the outer satellite?

The rocks in the pictures from Titan's surface are water (ice), but the liquid is definitely hydrocarbon. Spectral analysis prove it.

 

[Borg]

Too cold for liquid water.
From the wiki section on Titan's climate:

The findings of the Huygens probe indicate that Titan's atmosphere periodically rains liquid methane and other organic compounds onto its surface.