Fits to Be Tried: A Prequel to a Machine Learning Study of Ariel’s Interior

Kurzfassung

There have been few studies of the evolution of the large Uranian moons. Bierson and Nimmo [1] predicted that Titania and Oberon could contain thick oceans, whereas Ariel, Umbriel, and Miranda would be frozen at present. Castillo-Roges et al. [2] predict residual oceans less than 30 km thick in Ariel, Umbriel, and less than 50 km in Titania, and Oberon. In both studies, the authors used a 1D thermal evolution approach to study the moons which may not capture all the relevant physics, especially when there is evidence of localized cryovolcanism and tectonics—implying three-dimensional structure. With the exception of Umbriel, the moons show signs of internally-driven processes including canyons (lineaments) and cryovolcanic features on their surfaces [e.g., 3-4]