Terrestrial Analogs to Titan for Geophysical Research

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Abstract
Saturn's moon Titan exhibits remarkable parallels to the Earth in many geophysical and geological processes not found elsewhere in the solar system at the present day. These include a nitrogen atmosphere with a condensible gas—methane—replacing the Earth's water, leading to an active meteorology with rainfall and surface manifestations including rivers, lakes and seas, and the dissolution of karstic terrain. Other phenomena such as craters, dunes, and tectonic features are found elsewhere—for example on Mars and Venus—but their continuing alteration by pluvial, fluvial and lacustrine processes can be studied only on Earth and Titan. Meanwhile Titan also hosts an interior liquid water ocean with similarities to the Earth as well as to ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus. Our focus in this review paper is twofold: to describe the geophysical and geological parallels between Earth and Titan, and to evaluate the yet‐underexploited possibilities for field analog research to gain new knowledge about these processes. To date, Titan's much colder temperature and different atmospheric and crustal materials have led to a skepticism that useful analogs can be found on Earth. Our conclusion, however, is that a much larger range of useful analog field work is possible and this work will substantially enhance our knowledge of both worlds. Such investigation will supplement the existing sparse data for Titan returned by space missions, will greatly enhance our understanding of such data sets, and will help to provide science impetus and goals for future missions.
Funding Information
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004)
  • Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Goddard Space Flight Center
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County (80GSFC24M0006)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration Postdoctoral Program
  • Universities Space Research Association
  • Oak Ridge Associated Universities
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/Y000676/1)

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