At a shallow fault depth of 100 m and for the inferred oriented faults, our model suggests that shear failure is possible under diurnal tidal stresses subjected to the studied parameters. Figure 2 illustrates where the magnitudes of frictional stress and absolute value of shear stress overlap and the Coulomb criterion is met using the mapped azimuth of the suggested fault structure, permitting a finite slip-window. We explore candidate coefficients of friction ( μ f= 0.3-0.5) and hydrostatic pore fluid pressure ratios for Titan (l = 0.67-0.9). Using the SatStress tidal stress model for Titan-appropriate rheology, we compute the diurnal tidal stress tensor and resolve shear and normal stresses onto shallow fault planes (100 m depth) with azimuthal orientations consistent with mapped observations, as well as for the full range of orientations. Our modeling technique includes considerations for how the presence of near-surface liquid hydrocarbons and the crustal porosity of the ice significantly reduce the resistance to shear failure of strike-slip faults subjected to diurnal tidal stresses through a pore pressure parameter.įor this study, we examine failure conditions at proposed example strike-slip faults in SW Xanadu (Figure 1): (A) 9ºS 138ºW. In this work, we examine Titan’s ability to host shear deformation at identified rectilinear fluvial features that are inferred to be strike-slip faults through a sensitivity analysis guided by Coulomb failure laws and tidal stress mechanisms. However, the SW Xanadu region shows offsets in fluvial networks that seem to have been caused by strike-slip faulting optimal shear failure conditions may be present within Titan's shallow subsurface, where the existence of a porous ice cover filled with liquid hydrocarbons can create an environment for areas of frictional instability, shear heating, and possibly cryovolcanism.
Surface observations have not yet revealed large-scale and distinct characteristics of strike-slip faulting (i.e., en echelon structures, fault duplexes, and clear offset features) that have been observed on other ocean worlds such as Europa, Ganymede, and Enceladus. Titan's geology is complex, with a wide range of surface morphology, including fluvial, aeolian, and cryovolcanic and tectonic activity.
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