Facts about Miranda's Extreme Topography
- 08
Approximately 40 percent of Miranda's surface displays jumbled terrain with blocks tilted at random angles, a unique geological pattern not found on other icy moons in the solar system.
- 07
Within Miranda's Arden Corona, ridged terrain patterns suggest cryovolcanic processes may have resurfaced portions of the moon's icy crust, distinct from the impact-dominated geology visible elsewhere.
- 06
Miranda's Inverness Corona, a 226-kilometer-wide ovoid structure, displays concentric ridges and troughs suggesting formation through processes distinct from impact cratering or tectonic faulting.
- 05
Extreme temperature variations between Miranda's sunlit and shadowed regions create thermal stresses that may drive continued geological activity despite the moon's small 236-kilometer diameter.
- 04
Impact cratering on Miranda created a patchwork of heavily fractured terrain with ridges and valleys oriented in multiple directions, indicating sequential collisions from different angles across the moon's surface.
- 03
The Verona Rupes on Miranda rises approximately 5 to 10 kilometers above the surrounding terrain, representing one of the tallest known scarps in the entire solar system.
- 02
Miranda's chaotic terrain features massive canyons and ridges suggesting the Uranian moon experienced catastrophic internal disruption and reassembly early in its 4.5 billion year history.
- 01
Uranus's moon Miranda displays cliffs reaching 20 kilometers high, making them among the solar system's most extreme topographical features.