And Tethys may once have had an ocean of liquid water
Saturn moon ‘once had ocean’
By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News, Houston
The Ithaca Chasma is thought to be a very old structure
One of Saturn’s moons may once have harboured a liquid ocean beneath its icy surface, scientists have told a major conference in Houston, Texas.
Tethys is a mid-sized satellite with a density close to that of pure ice.
But a large valley system visible today must have formed when the crust was being heated and under great strain.
The team thinks that tidal heating, followed by cooling which froze Tethys’ ocean, could have formed the giant Ithaca Chasma rift.
Details were presented here at the 39th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
Full article here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7297408.stm