Cassini Observes the Active South Pole of Enceladus
Abstract
Cassini has identified a geologically active province at the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. In images acquired by the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS), this region is circumscribed by a chain of folded ridges and troughs at â¼55°S latitude. The terrain southward of this boundary is distinguished by its albedo and color contrasts, elevated temperatures, extreme geologic youth, and narrow tectonic rifts that exhibit coarse-grained ice and coincide with the hottest temperatures measured in the region. Jets of fine icy particles that supply Saturn's E ring emanate from this province, carried aloft by water vapor probably venting from subsurface reservoirs of liquid water. The shape of Enceladus suggests a possible intense heating epoch in the past by capture into a 1:4 secondary spin/orbit resonance.
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The inferred source of Enceladus' plumes is a liquid water ocean.
“The inferred source of Enceladus’ plumes is a liquid water ocean (Porco et al., 2006).”
From The Astrobiology Primer v2.0 (2016) · cites this paper as Porco et al., 2006
Cites
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- Authors
- Porco, C. C., Helfenstein, P., Thomas, P. C., Ingersoll, A. P., Wisdom, J., West, R., Neukum, G., Denk, T., Wagner, R., Roatsch, T., Kieffer, S., Turtle, E., McEwen, A., Johnson, T. V., Rathbun, J., Veverka, J., Wilson, D., Perry, J., Spitale, J., Brahic, A., Burns, J. A., DelGenio, A. D., Dones, L., Murray, C. D., & Squyres, S.
- Affiliations
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations, Space Science Institute, 4750 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Boulder, CO 80301, USA.
- Corresponding author
- Porco, C. C.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2006-03-10
- Volume
- 311
- Issue
- 5766
- Pages
- 1393-1401
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2159423849
- Cited by
- 1,221
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 41 · 2025: 69 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 59 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 67 · 2020: 66 · 2019: 57 · 2018: 62 · 2017: 72 · 2016: 43 · 2015: 62 · 2014: 63 · 2013: 43 · 2012: 52
- FWCI
- 43.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- elib (German Aerospace Center) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Planetary Science and Exploration
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › High-pressure geophysics and materials
- Keywords
- Enceladus, South Pole, E ring, subsurface liquid water, surface temperature, tidal heating
- MeSH terms
- Extraterrestrial Environment, Spectrum Analysis, Spacecraft, Saturn
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