Scientists previously found evidence of icebergs on the dwarf planet Ceres.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TEXAS — A team of scientists has seen evidence of a relatively recent icy volcano on the dwarf planet Pluto. This advances our understanding of the dwarf planet’s surface sculpting activity.
Reported from CNETWednesday (30/3/2022), mission New Horizons The American Space Agency (NASA) sent back some sights Pluto which was fantastic during the 2015 flyby. Spacecraft data shows that there is cryovolcanism (ice version of hot Earth volcanism as we know it).
NASA has observed cryovolcano about the size of Mauna Loa on Pluto called Wright Mons. NASA says it will be the largest feature found in the outer solar system if confirmed.
A study published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday (29/3/2022) planetary scientist Kelsi Singer of the Southwest Research Institute was the lead author of the study.
Pluto’s icy volcano is impressive. Some mountains reach a height of seven kilometers. They were found in areas with multiple impact craters, hinting at mud-spewing volcanoes that reshaped the surface relatively recently in the dwarf planet’s history.
For ice volcanoes to work, they must have a heat source. “The presence of this massive feature suggests that the interior structure and evolution of Pluto allowed increased heat retention or more heat overall than anticipated before New Horizons, which allowed the mobilization of water-rich material late in Pluto’s history,” the researchers wrote.
The team released a regional perspective view cryovolcanic which gives a good idea of what the area is like. Scientists have seen the evidence cryovolcanism in other parts of the solar system, notably the dwarf planet Ceres and Saturn’s moon Titan. Study author says Pluto’s iceberg and the different surface and atmospheric conditions make it unique among the places visited in the solar system.
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