American researchers from the University of Central Florida believe that an ocean may be hiding under the surface of Pluto. This is indicated by traces of a supervolcanic eruption that occurred on a dwarf planet several million years ago. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Physical.
Scientists say the 44-kilometre-wide Kiladze crater is spewing icy lava onto Pluto’s surface in a process known as cryovolcanism. Since volcanic activity requires some kind of heat source, experts have suggested that more heat may remain deep within the celestial body than previously thought.
Because much of Pluto is covered in methane and nitrogen ice, the presence of large amounts of water ice around Kiladze Crater could indicate significant water reserves beneath the surface, the researchers said.
Scientists estimate that over the 4.6 billion years of its existence, the thickness of Pluto’s methane mantle has reached at least 14 meters. This organic screen makes it impossible to discern traces of underlying water ice.
Astrophysicists don’t fully understand how cryovolcanic activity works on Pluto. The Earth is so small that it must have lost all its heat since its formation. One possibility is that the dwarf planet contains radioactive elements in its core that release heat as they decay; but previous research had suggested that these elements might not be enough to power Pluto. But whatever the source of the heat, there seems to be something preventing Pluto’s subsurface ocean from freezing.
Previous scientists I learnedIt turns out that the solar system is about twice as large as previously thought.