Awesome Image of Saturn's Moon Iapetus and Its Incredible Back-bone Looking Mountain Range

Phys.org ^ | April 21, 2014 | NASA

[lbryce]

Orginal Title:Study of Equatorial Ridge on Iapetus Suggests Exogenic Origin
You Really Don't Prefer The Original Title, Do You?

A combined team of researchers from Brown University in Rhode Island and the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Texas is suggesting in a paper they've uploaded to the preprint server arXiv, that an equatorial mountainous ridge on one of Saturn's moons has an exogenic origin. They are basing their theory on 3D models of the moon they've created and an analysis of the types of peaks present.

Iapetus, the 3rd largest of Saturn's approximately 60 moons, is distinct for two reasons. One is its odd two-tone coloring; the other is the back-bone looking mountain range straddling part of its equator. Scientists have been puzzled by the origin of the mountain range as the moon doesn't have other geologic qualities that could have given rise to it, such as shifting plates or volcanic activity. Thus, some have suggested that the mountains came from above, rather than below, or in other words, they have an exogenic origin, meaning they came from somewhere else.

[lbryce]

[lbryce]

Check Out these awesome images of Saturn’s moon, Iapetus.

[GeronL]

Ruffles have rridges too

Looks like something Klingon

[lbryce]

Very well said. Hadn’t thought of it myself but it is described perfectly.

[Rio]

That’s the parting line from where it was molded.

[cripplecreek]

It is a very interesting mystery.

Almost looks like the moon was broken in half then smacked back together leaving a seam.

[varmintman]

DemoKKKrats or muslims used to live there, and the normal people built a wall....

[BreezyDog]

Exactly what I was thinking...

[Busko]

I thought it was a close up of hillary’s face.

[MarineBrat]

It'll be hatching soon.

[GeronL]

d’oh!

[Flame Retardant]

Saturn's Moon Iapetus and Its Incredible Back-bone Looking Mountain Range

So, Brokeback Mountain is actually science fiction, then?

[trisham]

It appears to have been hit millions of times by meteorites.

[GeronL]

could it be the product of 2 objects colliding?

[Slyfox]

[The Cajun]

Some of the craters in one photo look like they have been wind blown or weathered, shouldn't be any wind blowing or weathering going on, I would think.

[soycd]

If that ridge runs in the direction of the moons spin, maybe it was soft/hot and malleable at one time and the spin force crated it?

[cripplecreek]

I would think two objects of similar size colliding would simply shatter. However it could have been a very low speed impact with gravity causing them to further collapse into a spherical shape.

[Gefn]

It’s incredible . Amazing how beautiful it is up there.

[GeronL]

what if both objects were molten?

could explain the colors too