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Geomorphological analysis of the southwestern margin of Xanadu, Titan: Insights on tectonics
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  • Pietro Matteoni,
  • Giuseppe Mitri,
  • Valerio Poggiali,
  • Marco Mastrogiuseppe
Pietro Matteoni
International Research School of Planetary Sciences, Università d'Annunzio, International Research School of Planetary Sciences, Università d'Annunzio

Corresponding Author:pietro.matteoni@unich.it

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Giuseppe Mitri
International Research School of Planetary Sciences, Università d'Annunzio, Italy, International Research School of Planetary Sciences, Università d'Annunzio, Italy
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Valerio Poggiali
Cornell University, Cornell University
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Marco Mastrogiuseppe
Sapienza Università di Roma, Sapienza Università di Roma
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Abstract

Evidence for tectonic activity on Titan is shown by the presence of eroded mountain ranges, although it is unclear whether their origin is endogenic. Xanadu is an equatorial region characterized by an articulated topography, even though overall it has a lower average elevation compared to its surroundings. We investigated Xanadu’s southwestern margin, a part of the region which is comprised of heavily eroded and rugged terrains to the North and East and of smoother, more uniform terrains to the West and South. An extensive fluvial network characterizes its central portions. Through detailed geomorphological mapping on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data and analysis of both fluvial drainage patterns and Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), we identified several putative tectonic structures in this area. We propose that central southwestern Xanadu is a pull-apart basin formed by trans-tensional tectonics, bordered by both normal and thrust faults. Such basin is characterized by strike-slip faulting within it, on which a now inactive fluvial network is subsequently imposed.
Dec 2020Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets volume 125 issue 12. 10.1029/2020JE006407