Cassini RADAR images at Hotei Arcus and western Xanadu, Titan: Evidence for geologically recent cryovolcanic activity

S. D. Wall (1) , R. M. Lopes (1) , E. R. Stofan (2) , C. A. Wood (3) , J. L. Radebaugh (4) , S. M. Hörst (5) , B. W. Stiles (1) , R. M. Nelson (6) , L. W. Kamp , M. A. Janssen (1) , R. D. Lorenz (7) , J.I. Lunine (4) , T. G. Farr (1) , G. Mitri (1) , Philippe Paillou (8, 9, 10) , F. Paganelli (1) , K. L. Mitchell (1)

1 JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
2 Proxemy Research Inc
3 Wheeling Jesuit University
4 LPL - Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson]
5 Department of Planetary Sciences [Tucson]
6 QMUL - Queen Mary University of London
7 APL - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD]
8 L3AB - Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux
9 OASU - Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers
10 LAB - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac]

Images obtained by the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper (RADAR) reveal lobate, flowlike features in the Hotei Arcus region that embay and cover surrounding terrains and channels. We conclude that they are cryovolcanic lava flows younger than surrounding terrain, although we cannot reject the sedimentary alternative. Their appearance is grossly similar to another region in western Xanadu and unlike most of the other volcanic regions on Titan. Both regions correspond to those identified by Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) as having variable infrared brightness, strengthening the case that these are recent cryovolcanoes.

Mots clés: Marine Geology and Geophysics: Submarine tectonics and volcanism; Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Origin and evolution

Domaines: Planétologie et astrophysique de la terre [astro-ph.EP]; Volcanologie

S. D. Wall, R. M. Lopes, E. R. Stofan, C. A. Wood, J. L. Radebaugh, et al.. Cassini RADAR images at Hotei Arcus and western Xanadu, Titan: Evidence for geologically recent cryovolcanic activity. Geophysical Research Letters, 2009, 36 (4), pp.04203. ⟨10.1029/2008GL036415⟩. ⟨hal-00405364⟩