Temporal variability of deformation in Enceladus' ice shell with faults
Abstract
Enceladus' geysers emanating from faults at the south polar region provides a unique opportunity to sample the internal ocean. The temporal variability of the geysering activity observed by the Cassini mission suggest modulation by diurnal tides and, on longer time scale, possibly by seasonal changes, buildup of ice at the vents and/or eccentricity and libration variations. The fact that the ice shell is estimated to be very thin at the south pole suggests that the faults might extend through the whole shell thickness, possibly controlling the stress and the deformation in the south region. Here, we address the impact of diurnal tides including short-period libration and highly deformable core, and effect of long-period libration and eccentricity variations on the stress and the deformation in the south polar region and along the faults. We show the sensitivity of the temporal changes in the observed brightness on long-period viscoelastic deformation.
- Publication:
-
EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019
- Pub Date:
- September 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019EPSC...13..780B