Active shoreline of Ontario Lacus, Titan: A morphological study of the lake and its surroundings

S. Wall (1) , A. Hayes (2) , C. Bristow (3) , R. Lorenz (4) , E. Stofan (5) , J. Lunine (4) , Alice Le Gall (1) , M. Janssen (1) , R. Lopes (1) , L. Wye (6) , L. Soderblom (7, 8) , Philippe Paillou (9, 10, 11, 12) , O. Aharonson (2) , H. Zebker (13) , T. Farr (1) , G. Mitri (1) , R. Kirk (8) , K. Mitchell (1) , C. Notarnicola (14) , D. Casarano (15) , B. Ventura (16)

1 JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
2 Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena]
3 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [UCL/Birkbeck]
4 LPL - Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson]
5 Proxemy Research Inc
6 Stanford University
7 US Geological Survey [Denver]
8 US Geological Survey [Flagstaff]
9 OASU - Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers
10 LAB - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac]
11 L3AB - Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux
12 UB - Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1
13 Department of Electrical Engineering [Stanford]
14 Institute of Applied Remote Sensing [Bozano}
15 IRPI - Istituto di Ricerca per la Protezione Idrogeologica [Bari]
16 Fachbereich Geowissenschaften [Bremen]

Of more than 400 filled lakes now identified on Titan, the first and largest reported in the southern latitudes is Ontario Lacus, which is dark in both infrared and microwave. Here we describe recent observations including synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images by Cassini's radar instrument (λ = 2 cm) and show morphological evidence for active material transport and erosion. Ontario Lacus lies in a shallow depression, with greater relief on the southwestern shore and a gently sloping, possibly wave-generated beach to the northeast. The lake has a closed internal drainage system fed by Earth-like rivers, deltas and alluvial fans. Evidence for active shoreline processes, including the wave-modified lakefront and deltaic deposition, indicates that Ontario is a dynamic feature undergoing typical terrestrial forms of littoral modification.

Mots clés: Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Hydrology and fluvial processes; Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Surface materials and properties; Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Remote sensing

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

S. Wall, A. Hayes, C. Bristow, R. Lorenz, E. Stofan, et al.. Active shoreline of Ontario Lacus, Titan: A morphological study of the lake and its surroundings. Geophysical Research Letters, 2010, 37, pp.05202. ⟨10.1029/2009GL041821⟩. ⟨hal-00495897⟩