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Mountain formation and evolution on Titan is poorly understood, due in part to a lack of high-resolution topographic data. By applying advanced processing techniques, we are able to increase the along-track spatial resolution of the Cassini RADAR altimeter by up to a factor of ten, enabling more detailed analysis. A survey of mountainous and hummocky terrain reveals a unique, characteristic waveform shape. By modeling reflections from different landscapes, we are able to show that these waveforms contain sub-resolution topographical information. We found that mountain elevation on Titan varies greatly over short distances, and evidence suggests that many mountain ranges on Titan have been eroded down to the plains level even within a single high-resolution radar footprint.

Titan's few impact craters are currently many hundreds of meters shallower than the depths expected. Assuming these craters initially had depths equal to that of similar-size fresh craters on Ganymede and Callisto (moons of similar size, composition, and target lithology), then some process has shallowed them over time. Since nearly all of Titan's recognized craters are located within the arid equatorial sand seas of organic-rich dunes, where rain is infrequent, and atmospheric sedimentation is expected to be low, it has been suggested that aeolian infill plays a major role in shallowing the craters. Topographic relaxation at Titan's current heat flow was previously assumed to be an unimportant process on Titan due to its low surface temperature (94 K). However, our estimate of the thermal conductivity of Titan's organic-rich sand is remarkably low (0.025 W m−1 K−1), and when in thick deposits, will result in a thermal blanketing effect that can aid relaxation. Here, we simulate the relaxation of Titan's craters Afekan, Soi, and Sinlap including thermal effects of various amounts of sand inside and around Titan's craters. We find that the combination of aeolian infill and subsequent relaxation can produce the current crater depths in a geologically reasonable period of time using Titan's current heat flow. Instead of needing to fill completely the missing volume with 100% sand, only ∼62%, ∼71%, and ∼97%, of the volume need be sand at the current basal heat flux for Afekan, Soi, and Sinlap, respectively. We conclude that both processes are likely at work shallowing these craters, and this finding contributes to why Titan overall lacks impact craters in the arid equatorial regions.

International audience; The Cassini/Huygens mission revealed a terrain type on Saturn's moon Titan of dissected, elevated plateaux with a high density of valleys named labyrinth terrain. We define four subtypes of labyrinth terrains: valleyed, polygonal, finely-dissected, and the possible outlier Kronin Labyrinth. We mapped the locations of all labyrinths imaged by Cassini and found they are distributed preferentially at high latitudes. We characterize the labyrinths by morphometric parameters such as intervalley width, valley width, and percent valleys. We find many labyrinths contain closed valleys, which constrains their formation and evolution. We also examine their low microwave emissivity spectral characteristics and find that the labyrinths are consistent with a bulk composition of dominantly organic materials, with some component of water ice – characteristics similar to Titan's undifferentiated plains. Our analyses show that labyrinths are ancient terrains – only the mountains and hummocky terrains are older. This implies that significant organic production occurred early in Titan's history. The organic inventory represented by the labyrinths is estimated to be 15–42% of the solid organic inventory of Titan (or 14–35% of the total surface organics, if the hydrocarbons of the lakes and seas are also included). Our preferred formation of the labyrinth terrains is erosion through dissolution and fluvial processes that dissect the plateau in a manner similar to dissolution geology (karst) on Earth. This scenario requires that the organics that make up the labyrinth terrain be soluble in methane and/or ethane liquids. It also suggests that the origin of the plateaux may have derived from Titan's past chemical production and subsequent depositional record.