Liquid nitrogen may have flowed across Pluto’s surface in the recent past
ScienceDaily reports that dark features on the Sputnik Planitia glacier appear consistent with liquid nitrogen rising through cracks from deep beneath the ice.
TLDR
ScienceDaily describes the findings as the first evidence that liquid may have flowed across Pluto’s surface in the recent past. Computer models show that nitrogen could melt at the glacier’s base and travel upward through small conduits. The findings suggest Pluto may be more geologically active than its frozen appearance suggests.
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Liquid nitrogen may have flowed across Pluto’s surface in the recent past
ScienceDaily reports that dark features on the Sputnik Planitia glacier appear consistent with liquid nitrogen rising through cracks from deep beneath the ice.
TLDR
ScienceDaily describes the findings as the first evidence that liquid may have flowed across Pluto’s surface in the recent past. Computer models show that nitrogen could melt at the glacier’s base and travel upward through small conduits. The findings suggest Pluto may be more geologically active than its frozen appearance suggests.