The Saturnine moon features lakes of methane and ethane

Dec 20, 2013 14:46 GMT  ·  By
Cassini radar image of Titan's northern hemisphere and its liquid hydrocarbon lakes and seas
   Cassini radar image of Titan's northern hemisphere and its liquid hydrocarbon lakes and seas

According to the results of a new study conducted using the NASA Cassini spacecraft, it would appear that Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has enough liquid methane and ethane on its surface to exceed Earth's proven oil reserves 40 times over. These hydrocarbons are all concentrated in seas and lakes located on the moon's northern hemisphere. 

Interestingly, Titan is not very large per se, just 150 percent the size of the Moon. Though it comes in a tight package, the celestial body holds no less than 9,000 cubic kilometers (2.000 cubic miles) of liquid hydrocarbons on its surface.

Due to the relatively-high temperatures found here, methane and ethane would not be able to exist on Earth in liquid form, and would turn to gas. But on Titan, where the average temperature is just 93.7 Kelvin (−179.5 °C / -291.1 °F), it is cold enough for them to become liquid.

Another thing Cassini determined in a study published earlier this month is that the vast majority of the moon's hydrocarbon lakes are located in an area of its northern hemisphere covering just 1.62 million square kilometers (660,000 square miles), Space reports. This region is roughly as large as Alaska.

Cassini mission controllers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, say that this concentration of hydrocarbons probably occurs due to favorable geology at this location. Another explanation could be that the lakes migrate between hemispheres from season to season.

Geological processes may play a role, too. “We think it may be something like the formation of the prehistoric lake called Lake Lahontan near Lake Tahoe in Nevada and California, where deformation of the crust created fissures that could be filled up with liquid,” says researcher Randolph Kirk.

The expert holds an appointment with the United States Geological Survey, in Flagstaff, Arizona, and is also a member of the Cassini radar team. The reason scientists are so interested in Titan is that this world may have an atmospheric cycle just like Earth's, except based on hydrocarbons instead of water.

During its latest passes over Titan's lakes and seas, Cassini's sensitive radar instrument was able to penetrate the deep, clear water of the lakes, and determine that the deepest of them is around 170 meters (560 feet) deep.

“This was possible partly because the liquid turned out to be very pure, allowing the radar signal to pass through it easily. The liquid surface may be as smooth as the paint on our cars, and it is very clear to radar eyes,” officials with the American space agency said in a press release earlier this week.