TY - JOUR
T1 - Reorientation of icy satellites by impact basins
AU - Nimmo, F.
AU - Matsuyama, I.
PY - 2007/10/16
Y1 - 2007/10/16
N2 - Large impact basins are present on many of the icy satellites of the outer solar system. Assuming that their present-day topography is uncompensated, such basins can cause significant poleward reorientations for slow-rotating satellites, This reorientation may have been accompanied by transient large-amplitude wobble. The largest basins on Tethys, Rhea and Titania are predicted to have caused reorientations of roughly 4°, 7° and 12°, respectively, resulting in global tectonic stresses up to ∼0.5 MPa. The potential anomalies associated with the basins can be up to one-third of those expected for a hydrostatic, tidally-and rotationally-deformed body, and may complicate interpretation of the satellite interior structure. Pluto and Charon, because of their slow rotation, are also likely to have undergone reorientation of 10-20° if they possess impact basins of comparable sizes to those of the Saturnian satellites.
AB - Large impact basins are present on many of the icy satellites of the outer solar system. Assuming that their present-day topography is uncompensated, such basins can cause significant poleward reorientations for slow-rotating satellites, This reorientation may have been accompanied by transient large-amplitude wobble. The largest basins on Tethys, Rhea and Titania are predicted to have caused reorientations of roughly 4°, 7° and 12°, respectively, resulting in global tectonic stresses up to ∼0.5 MPa. The potential anomalies associated with the basins can be up to one-third of those expected for a hydrostatic, tidally-and rotationally-deformed body, and may complicate interpretation of the satellite interior structure. Pluto and Charon, because of their slow rotation, are also likely to have undergone reorientation of 10-20° if they possess impact basins of comparable sizes to those of the Saturnian satellites.
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U2 - 10.1029/2007GL030798
DO - 10.1029/2007GL030798
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:37249078797
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 34
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 19
M1 - L19203
ER -