Saturn's weird moon Titan looks a bit like Earth, and scientists might finally know why

A new study explains why the surface of the moon is similar to Earth.

There are lakes and rivers, labyrinthine canyons, and soft sand dunes on the largest moon of the planet. The geological formations on Titan are made of different materials. Liquid methane flows through rivers and instead of sand, it blows into dunes.

Scientists have been stumped by how these landscapes came to be. They have determined a very plausible theory.

The silicate-based sediments found on Earth are not as fragile as the solid organic compounds believed to be made from in Titan. Nitrogen wind and liquid methane should wear Titan's sediments down to fine dust, which wouldn't be able to support such varied structures.

The views show the surface of the moon.

A combination of wind and seasonal change may be able to do the trick on Titan, according to a team led by an assistant professor of geological sciences.

The researchers studied the ooids, which can be found on Earth, and which have a similar composition to Titan.

In tropical waters, oids form very fine grains. The grains erode in the sea. They have a consistent size.

The researchers think that something is happening on Titan.

The idea was that when winds transport the grains, it could counterbalance the abrasion.

The team analyzed the atmospheric data from Titan to determine how the different geological features on the planet could have been formed.

The researchers found that winds were more common around the moon's equator, which created optimal conditions for the development of dunes. The team suspects that lower winds allowed coarser grains to form and more solid rock to form. The wind could erode the harder rock down into the fine particles on Earth.

Lap's team theorizes that the movement of liquid methane may contribute to erosion and development.

We have an active sedimentary cycle that can explain the latitudinal distribution of landscapes, just like it did on Earth.

The hypothesis was published in a journal.

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