Triton: Topography and Geology of a Probable Ocean World with Comparison to Pluto and Charon

Remote Sensing

卷:13

William B. McKinnon¹  Ted Stryk²  Jason Hofgartner³  Kirby D. Runyon⁴  William M. Grundy⁵  Paul M. Schenk⁶  Veronica J. Bray⁷  Dale Cruikshank⁸  Tanguy Bertrand⁸  Jeffrey M. Moore⁸  Emily Martin⁹  Candice Hansen¹⁰  Chloe B. Beddingfield¹¹  Ross Beyer¹¹  Carver Bierson¹²  Stuart Robbins¹³  Kelsi N. Singer¹³  S. Alan Stern¹³  John Spencer¹³ 

[1] Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63101, USA;

[2] Humanities Division, Roane State Community College, Harriman, TN 37748, USA;

[3] Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91001, USA;

[4] Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20707, USA;

[5] Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA;

[6] Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA;

[7] Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85641, USA;

[8] NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA;

[9] National Air & Space Museum, Washington, DC 20001, USA;

[10] Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85704, USA;

[11] SETI Institute, Palo Alto, CA 94020, USA;

[12] School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85202, USA;

[13] Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80301, USA;

关键词: Triton;    ocean world;    Neptune;    topography;    cartography;    Pluto;   

DOI  :  10.3390/rs13173476

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The topography of Neptune’s large icy moon Triton could reveal important clues to its internal evolution, but has been difficult to determine. New global digital color maps for Triton have been produced as well as topographic data for <40% of the surface using stereogrammetry and photoclinometry. Triton is most likely a captured Kuiper Belt dwarf planet, similar though slightly larger in size and density to Pluto, and a likely ocean moon that exhibited plume activity during Voyager 2′s visit in 1989. No surface features or regional deviations of greater than ±1 km amplitude are found. Volatile ices in the southern terrains may take the form of extended lobate deposits 300–500 km across as well as dispersed bright materials that appear to embay local topography. Limb hazes may correlate with these deposits, indicating possible surface–atmosphere exchange. Triton’s topography contrasts with high relief up to 6 km observed by New Horizons on Pluto. Low relief of (cryo)volcanic features on Triton contrasts with high-standing massifs on Pluto, implying different viscosity materials. Solid-state convection occurs on both and at similar horizontal scales but in very different materials. Triton’s low relief is consistent with evolution of an ice shell subjected to high heat flow levels and may strengthen the case of an internal ocean on this active body.

【 授权许可】

Unknown