Detection of ammonia on Pluto's surface in a region of geologically recent tectonism.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31608308.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aav5731 and PMC identifier 6771079.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
We report the detection of ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) on Pluto's surface in spectral images obtained with the New Horizons spacecraft that show absorption bands at 1.65 and 2.2 μm. The ammonia signature is spatially coincident with a region of past extensional tectonic activity (Virgil Fossae) where the presence of H<sub>2</sub>O ice is prominent. Ammonia in liquid water profoundly depresses the freezing point of the mixture. Ammoniated ices are believed to be geologically short lived when irradiated with ultraviolet photons or charged particles. Thus, the presence of NH<sub>3</sub> on a planetary surface is indicative of a relatively recent deposition or possibly through exposure by some geological process. In the present case, the areal distribution is more suggestive of cryovolcanic emplacement, however, adding to the evidence for ongoing geological activity on Pluto and the possible presence of liquid water at depth today.