methane clathrate Archives - Astrobiology

Cumulative crater count as a function of crater diameter. Each symbol and line depicts a fit to a different methane-clathrate thickness (see legend). The darkblue dotted line shows Titan’s observed crater count (Hedgepeth et al., 2020). The shaded region indicates craters less than 22 km, which is the lower limit of our results. Note that those craters are affected by Titan’s atmosphere, hence the drop off from the trend line. Panel b shows the inset of Panel a (a black box), so the details near the change in slope can be seen more clearly. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Status Report, Titan

A Youthful Titan Implied By Improved Impact Simulations

by Keith CowingJanuary 15, 2026January 15, 2026

The small number of impact craters found on Titan suggests that its surface is relatively young. Previous work estimated its surface age to be between 200 and 1000 Myr. This […]

Titan -- NASA

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Impacts Into Titan’s Methane-clathrate Crust As A Source Of Atmospheric Methane

by Keith CowingMarch 27, 2025March 27, 2025

Titan is the only icy satellite in the solar system with a dense atmosphere. This atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen with a few percent methane, which supports an active, […]

Methane clathrate (white, ice-like material) under a rock from the seafloor of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Deposits such as these demonstrate that methane and other gases cross the seafloor and enter the ocean. Photo credit: NOAA

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

From Seafloor To Space: New Bacterial Proteins Shine Light On Climate and Astrobiology

by Keith CowingNovember 17, 2023November 17, 2023

Gigatons of greenhouse gas are trapped under the seafloor, and that’s a good thing. Around the coasts of the continents, where slopes sink down into the sea, tiny cages of […]

Methane clathrate (white, ice-like material) under a rock from the seafloor of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Deposits such as these demonstrate that methane and other gases cross the seafloor and enter the ocean. CREDIT NOAA

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release

Novel Bacterial Proteins From Seafloor Shine Light On Climate And Astrobiology

by Keith CowingSeptember 27, 2023September 27, 2023

Gigatons of greenhouse gas are trapped under the seafloor, and that’s a good thing. Around the coasts of the continents, where slopes sink down into the sea, tiny cages of […]

Dragonfly

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Titan

Modeling The Formation Of Selk Impact Crater On Titan: Implications For Dragonfly

by Keith CowingFebruary 22, 2023February 22, 2023

Selk crater is an ∼ 80 km diameter impact crater on the Saturnian icy satellite, Titan. Melt pools associated with impact craters like Selk provide environments where liquid water and […]