Abstract
We investigate the underlying physical processes that govern the formation and evolution of Titan's tectonic features. Our mapping of mountain chains and hills reveals a global pattern: east-west orientations at the equator and north-south at the poles. This result makes Titan one of the few solar system bodies where global processes, rather than regional processes, dominate tectonism. After comparison with global stress models, we suggest that either global contraction coupled with spin-up or global expansion coupled with despinning could explain our observations if coupled with a lithosphere thinner in Titan's polar regions.