Avalanche on Saturn's Icy Moon Rhea (IMAGE)

Washington University in St. Louis

Avalanche on Saturn's Icy Moon Rhea

Caption

Ice avalanches on Rhea behave differently than those on Iapetus. On Rhea, ice lands in a debris pile beneath the crater wall instead of scooting miles into the crater. Rhea is roughly the same size as Iapetus and has an icy surface, but it’s not out-of-round. Its topography is less rugged and its craters are not as deep. So, on this icy moon, icefalls do not gather speed, and the ice never becomes slippery

Credit

NASA/JPL/SSI/LPI. Color-coded elevation: Paul Schenk/LPI

Usage Restrictions

Credit required

License

Licensed content

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.