Pluto's frozen surface shows evidence of recent liquid nitrogen seepage
Analysis of New Horizons imagery suggests liquid nitrogen has risen through cracks near the northern edge of Pluto's Sputnik Planitia glacier. Computer models indicate nitrogen could melt at the glacier's base and travel upward through conduits. This is the first evidence of liquid flow on Pluto in recent times, indicating the dwarf planet is more geologically active than previously thought.
Sputnik Planitia spans an area larger than Texas and Oklahoma combined, composed primarily of frozen nitrogen. The glacier's northern region displays convection cells roughly city-sized, separated by dark linear features and diffuse patches. Researchers compared New Horizons imagery with NASA Landsat 9 observations of Greenland's ice sheet, where similar dark markings correspond to liquid water atop ice.
The glacier's surface is geologically young, estimated at under one million years old based on overturn modeling. This suggests any features observed formed relatively recently. The proposed mechanism involves nitrogen melting at the glacier's base, then migrating upward through conduits—a process previously unobserved on Pluto and indicating internal heat sources remain active.
This discovery could reshape scientific understanding of dwarf planets' geological activity, suggesting even small, distant bodies retain internal heat. It may influence future mission priorities, with researchers potentially targeting similar cryovolcanic processes elsewhere in the Kuiper Belt. Public interest in Pluto's dynamic nature could bolster support for planetary science funding, while the Greenland comparison demonstrates how terrestrial analogies help interpret extraterrestrial phenomena.