Ali Baba and Aladdin

in #science5 years ago

The two largest craters in view.

How different craters are on an ice moon. The crater walls are smoother and less defined, but most strikingly is the difference in the central uplifts. Wider and flatter and filling more of the crater floor as seen in Ali Baba and Aladdin and the other larger ones in this picture.

The moons less cratered and more wrinkled patches are where the the ice has been churned and renewed through geological activity. Enceladus is tidally heated, meaning the distortions of the underlying rocks from tides (yes, rock experiences tides also, though less discernible) creates friction that provides the heat to partially melt the surface layer of ice from below

PIA08409 North Polar Region of Enceladus.jpg
By NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute - This image or video was catalogued by Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: PIA08409., Public Domain, Link

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