Titan's Surface Organics Surpass Oil Reserves On Earth

[n2doc]

ScienceDaily (Feb. 21, 2008) — Saturn's orange moon Titan has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth, according to new data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The hydrocarbons rain from the sky, collecting in vast deposits that form lakes and dunes.

The new findings from the study led by Ralph Lorenz, Cassini radar team member from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., are reported in the Jan. 29 issue of the Geophysical Research Letters.

"Titan is just covered in carbon-bearing material -- it's a giant factory of organic chemicals," said Lorenz. "This vast carbon inventory is an important window into the geology and climate history of Titan."

At a balmy minus 179 degrees Celsius (minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit), Titan is a far cry from Earth. Instead of water, liquid hydrocarbons in the form of methane and ethane are present on the moon's surface, and tholins probably make up its dunes. The term "tholins"was coined by Carl Sagan in 1979 to describe the complex organic molecules at the heart of prebiotic chemistry.

Cassini has mapped about 20 percent of Titan's surface with radar. Several hundred lakes and seas have been observed, with each of several dozen estimated to contain more hydrocarbon liquid than Earth's oil and gas reserves. The dark dunes that run along the equator contain a volume of organics several hundred times larger than Earth's coal reserves.

more:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220200045.htm


Soooo...when do we launch our invasion fleet?


An artist's imagination of hydrocarbon pools, icy and rocky terrain on the surface of Saturn's largest moon Titan. (Credit: Steven Hobbs (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia).)

[bronxiteforever]

1. Refer to it by its proper name "Titan/Halliburton Inc"-but seriously cool post

[bigmonkey]

2. So, the surface of Titan was covered with dinosaurs and plants in the past?

Just a snarky remark. I've found the argument for a non-animal source for petroleum more and more convincing.

[TZ]

5. Actually

A lotof Astronomers think if there is any kind of life outside of earth in the solar system, Titan is a likely candidate to have it.
A very interesting place. I did a paper on Titan in HS, and retain my fascination with the moon from it.

[Canuckistanian]

12. Not likely

Petroleum (oil) is a very complex substance made by living things only (mostly plants).

There are no natural geological processes that spontaneously produce oil.

[NickB79]

16. Petroleum is a hydrocarbon, but not all hydrocarbons are petroleum

There is a world of difference between methane, a very simple 1-carbon molecule, and petroleum, a complex stew of short, medium, and long carbon-chain molecules.

[ret5hd]

3. So how soon can we begin importing global warming products from Titan?

Our alien overlords wish for Earth to be a minimum of 10 deg C warmer than it is now.

[f the letter]

4. i hear they've got some nice sirens there too n/t

[Indenturedebtor]

6. Hah no doubt

This is positive both for the prospects of life elsewhere in the solar system, as well as for future exploration missions.

While it's preposterous to think that we'll use chemical rockets to explore and exploit the solar system, we will need resources of many kinds to do so.

Thanks for posting!

[Orsino]

7. Titan is, in effect, a WMD.

We invade this August.

[GaYellowDawg]

8. I can hear it now...

(Republican of your choice) "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a tanker on Titan and returning oil safely to the earth."

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. Tanker spill on entry into atmosphere...

egads!!

And Prez Shrub, representing Haliburton States of Haliburton America cum Haliburton comes on TV and says "That chemical spray is actually helping the earth by ... um... moisturizing it."

[Ganja Ninja]

9. Welcome to Bush World! n/t

[and-justice-for-all]

10. I do not have any issue with mining Moons and Asteriods....

for their raw materials.

[moggie]

11. Getting it back here without a net energy loss would be tricky n/t

[Canuckistanian]

13. I'd like to get the contract for THAT pipeline

Although it would probably take 100's of generations to complete.

Can you say "Gravy Train"?

[kestrel91316]

15. Shhhhhh - don't tell Bush & Cheney.