 | Langhans M. Erosion on Saturn's moon Titan: analyses of the distribution, morphology, and spectral properties of Titan's fluvial valleys: Diss. … Dr. rer. nat. / Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; Institut für Planetenforschung, Berlin-Adlershof. - Köln: DLR, Bibliotheks- und Informationswesen, 2011. - xii, 159 p.: ill., graph. - (Forschungsbericht; 2011-07). - Bibliogr.: p.124-146. - ISSN 1434-8454
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List of Figures ............................................... VII
List of Tables .................................................. X
List of Abbreviations .......................................... XI
1 Introduction and Motivation .................................. 1
2 Background ................................................... 5
2.1 Titan in the Saturnian System ........................... 5
2.2 Historical Overview on the Observation of Titan ......... 6
2.2.1 Early Investigations ............................. 6
2.2.2 Pioneer 11 ....................................... 7
2.2.3 Voyager 1 and 2 .................................. 8
2.2.4 Earth-Based Imaging .............................. 9
2.2.5 Hubble Space Telescope (HST) .................... 12
2.2.6 Cassini-Huygens Mission ......................... 13
2.3 Background: Titan's Characteristics .................... 17
2.3.1 Titan's Formation ............................... 18
2.3.2 Surface ......................................... 19
2.3.3 Atmosphere ...................................... 22
2.3.4 Models of Titan's Geology ....................... 27
2.3.5 Open Questions .................................. 33
3 Database and Methodology .................................... 35
3.1 Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer
(VIMS) ............................................ 35
3.2 Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) ................... 39
3.3 Radar-SAR ......................................... 40
3.4 Software and Preprocessing of Data ................ 42
3.5 Methodology ....................................... 44
4 Analysis of Surface Units and Stratigraphic Relation ........ 49
4.1 Introduction ........................................... 49
4.2 Surface Map ............................................ 49
4.3 Titan's Geology, Topography, and Stratigraphy .......... 57
4.3.1 Dunes ........................................... 57
4.3.2 Mountains ....................................... 58
4.3.3 Impact Craters .................................. 60
4.3.4 Cryovolcanism ................................... 60
5 Investigation of Fluvial Processes on Titan ................. 62
5.1 Valley Types on Titan .................................. 62
5.1.1 Dendritic Valleys ............................... 63
5.1.2 Dry Channels .................................... 69
5.1.3 Sapping Channels ................................ 73
5.1.4 Valleys in Mountains ............................ 75
5.1.5 Individual (elongated) Valleys .................. 78
5.2 Geographical Distribution of Fluvial Valleys ........... 80
5.3 Spectral Properties of Fluvial Terrain ................. 86
5.3.1 Global View ..................................... 86
5.3.2 Local View ...................................... 89
5.4 Morphological Properties of Valleys .................... 90
5.4.1 Geometric Dimensions of Valleys ................. 90
5.4.2 Relative Ages of the Valleys and Stratigraphy ... 92
5.4.3 Branching Complexity and Network Geometry ....... 95
5.5 Brightness/Appearance in Radar Images .................. 97
5.6 Sedimentation .......................................... 98
5.7 Estimation of Discharge ............................... 100
5.8 Lakes on Titan ........................................ 102
5.9 Fluvial Valleys in the Solar System - Examples from
Earth, Mars, and Titan ................................ 106
6 Conclusions ................................................ 116
7 Outlook .................................................... 122
Bibliography .................................................. 124
Appendix ...................................................... 147
Curriculum Vitae ................................................ i
List of Publications ........................................... ii
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