Space.com There's liquid on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. But something's missing and scientists are confused

[Judi Lynn]

By Julian Dossett
published 10 hours ago

Scientists have long known that Saturn's largest moon, Titan, hosts rivers and seas of liquid methane. But it's strangely lacking in river deltas, a new study suggests.



Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is the only body beyond Earth known to host stable bodies of liquid on its surface. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/University of Idaho)


Scientists have known for a while that Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has rivers and seas of liquid methane on its surface. But it's strangely lacking in deltas, a new study suggests.

On Earth, large rivers create deltas with sediment-filled wetlands. Deltas form when the mouth of a river empties into another body of water. Besides Earth, Titan is the only planetary body in our solar system with liquid flowing on the surface.

Researchers recently looked for deltas on the big Saturn satellite but came up empty.

"We take it for granted that if you have rivers and sediments, you get deltas," study leader Sam Birch, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Brown University in Rhode Island, said in a statement.

"But Titan is weird. It's a playground for studying processes we thought we understood," he added.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/space/saturn/theres-liquid-on-titan-saturns-largest-moon-but-somethings-missing-and-scientists-are-confused