New Evidence Suggests Liquid Nitrogen May Be Flowing on Pluto's Frozen Surface
In short: Long considered a static, icy world, Pluto is proving to be geologically active. Recent analysis of imagery from the 2015 New Horizons mission reveals dark patterns on the massive Sputnik Planitia glacier, suggesting that liquid nitrogen may occasionally rise from deep beneath the ice to wet the surface.
Discovered in 1930, Pluto was long a blurry mystery at the edge of our solar system. That changed in 2015 when NASA's New Horizons spacecraft provided the first detailed look at the dwarf planet. Among its most striking features is the Sputnik Planitia, a vast nitrogen glacier larger than the combined area of Texas and Oklahoma. This region is marked by city-sized convection cells separated by dark, linear features that have puzzled scientists for years.
A study published in the Planetary Science Journal now suggests these dark markings resemble features on Earth's glaciers, which darken when wetted by rain or subsurface liquid. Because Pluto's atmospheric and thermal conditions make nitrogen rain impossible, researchers propose that liquid nitrogen is emerging from beneath the glacier. Computer models indicate that nitrogen ice at the base of the glacier, which is several kilometers deep, may melt and travel upward through narrow conduits, driven by pressure or buoyancy.
This finding marks the first evidence of recently flowing liquid on Pluto, suggesting the dwarf planet is far more geologically active than its frozen appearance implies. While researchers have not yet identified similar flows elsewhere, they note that over half of Pluto remains unmapped at high resolution. The mechanism might also explain activity on other bodies, such as the geysers observed on Neptune's moon, Triton. These results highlight the need for further study into the physics of solid nitrogen under stress, a field that remains largely unexplored in laboratory settings.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Science Bulletins: New Horizons Brings Pluto Into Focus
- Also: NASA’s New Horizons Finds Evidence of Recent Liquid on Pluto’s Surface - NASA Science
- Also: NASA’s New Horizons spots signs of liquid nitrogen flowing on Pluto
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