Organic sedimentary deposits in Titan’s dry lakebeds: Probable evaporite
Jason Barnes
(1)
,
Jacob Bow
(1)
,
Jacob Schwartz
(1)
,
Robert Brown
(2)
,
Jason Soderblom
(2)
,
Alexander Hayes
(3)
,
Graham Vixie
(1)
,
Stéphane Le Mouélic
(4)
,
Sebastien Rodriguez
(5)
,
Christophe Sotin
(6)
,
Ralf Jaumann
(7)
,
Katrin Stephan
(8)
,
Laurence Soderblom
,
Roger Clark
(9)
,
Bonnie Buratti
(6)
,
Kevin Baines
(6)
,
Philip Nicholson
(10)
1
University of Idaho [Moscow, USA]
2 LPL - Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson]
3 Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena]
4 LPG - Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112]
5 AIM (UMR7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112) - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
6 JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
7 DLR Institut für Planetenforschung
8 DLR Institute of Planetary Research
9 PSI - Planetary Science Institute [Tucson]
10 Department of Astronomy [Ithaca]
2 LPL - Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson]
3 Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena]
4 LPG - Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112]
5 AIM (UMR7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112) - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
6 JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
7 DLR Institut für Planetenforschung
8 DLR Institute of Planetary Research
9 PSI - Planetary Science Institute [Tucson]
10 Department of Astronomy [Ithaca]
Jason Barnes
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 772426
- ORCID : 0000-0002-7755-3530
Robert Brown
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 758960
- ORCID : 0000-0002-5544-9986
Jason Soderblom
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 762872
- ORCID : 0000-0003-3715-6407
Alexander Hayes
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 761865
- ORCID : 0000-0002-6417-9316
Sebastien Rodriguez
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 1120973
- IdHAL : sebastien-rodriguez
- ORCID : 0000-0003-1219-0641
- IdRef : 089333438
Christophe Sotin
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 835943
- IdHAL : sotin-c
- ORCID : 0000-0003-3947-1072
- IdRef : 033237018
Ralf Jaumann
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 759136
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9759-6597
Laurence Soderblom
- Function : Author
Roger Clark
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 773160
- ORCID : 0000-0002-7021-1220
Bonnie Buratti
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 773159
- ORCID : 0000-0002-5901-4875
Kevin Baines
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 758960
- ORCID : 0000-0002-5544-9986
Philip Nicholson
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 773161
- ORCID : 0000-0003-2275-4463
Abstract
We report the discovery of organic sedimentary deposits at the bottom of dry lakebeds near Titan's north pole in observations from the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). We show evidence that the deposits are evaporitic, making Titan just the third known planetary body with evaporitic processes after Earth and Mars, and is the first that uses a solvent other than water.