Lithospheric strength of Ganymede: Clues to early thermal profiles from extensional tectonic features

While it is generally agreed that the strength of a planet's lithosphere is controlled by a combination of brittle sliding and ductile flow laws, predicting the geometry and initial characteristics of faults due to failure from stresses imposed on the lithospheric strength envelope has not been thoroughly explored. Researchers used lithospheric strength envelopes to analyze the extensional features found on Ganymede. This application provides a quantitative means of estimating early thermal profiles on Ganymede, thereby constraining its early thermal evolution.