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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

What an interesting image of a ridge running along the equator of Saturn's Moon, Iapetus...

From Universe Today:

Iapetus Has a Seam

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Summary - (Jan 10, 2005) Scientists already considered Saturn's moon Iapetus unusual, because of its strange two-toned appearance; one hemisphere is dark, while the other is bright. But new images from Cassini show an even more unusual mystery: it has a seam. It's 20 km (12 miles) high and runs 1,300 km (808 miles) directly around Iapetus' equator. In some places, this ridge is so high it rivals Olympus Mons, which is unusual for an object which is 1/5th the mass of Mars. Researcher will have to wait until September 2007 for Cassini's next pass, when it will provide pictures 100x better resolution.

More here: www.universetoday.com/am/publish/iapetus_seam.html?1012005

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Looks rather like a walnut.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Did Iapetus Consume One of Saturn's Rings?

(May 12, 2005) Take a good look at Saturn's moon Iapetus and it has a few striking features that set it apart from every other object in the solar system. For one thing, it seems to have two faces: one white, like freshly fallen snow, and the other dark like volcanic rock. But even stranger, Iapetus has a seam. Right at the equator, and going halfway around the planet, it's probably 20 km (12 miles) high - as if the moon was cut in half and then smashed back together. Planetary geologists have assumed this seam is volcanic in origin, but Paulo C.C. Freire of the Arecibo Observatory has another suggestion. In the distant past, Iapetus gobbled up one of Saturn's rings.

More here at Universe Today:http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/iapetus_consume_saturn_ring.html?1252005

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What an interesting theory, but it does make sense if Iapetus plowed through rings.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

High Definition of Iapatus's Seam

Iapetus has a mountain range exactly on its equator, measuring in some places 13 kilometers tall and 20 kilometers wide. This image was taken on September 10, 2007.

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Credit: NASA / JPL / SSI / Color composite by Emily Lakdawalla

Here is a link to large format images of Iapetus...

www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001125/