Its name comes from an alternate transcription of Shangdu, the summer capital of the Yuan dynasty established by Kublai Khan and made famous by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

These in turn seem to contrast quite sharply with the very dark maria, which were once believed to be seas of liquid hydrocarbons, but are now thought to be plains.

Images by Cassini during encounters in October and December 2004 reveal complex albedo patterns in the western portion of Xanadu.

Radar images taken by Cassini have revealed dunes, hills, rivers and valleys present on Xanadu.

[2] Water ice behaves similarly to rock at the pressures and temperatures present on Titan's surface.