Evidence of distant geological processes
Scientists examining photographic records from NASA's New Horizons probe have detected signs of extensive landslides on Pluto. The observed flows occurred along the precipitous inner slopes of impact craters and appear large enough to submerge entire metropolitan areas on Earth.
The analysis draws entirely on images captured during the spacecraft's flyby in 2015. Surface patterns suggest that mixtures of rock and ice descended the crater walls, leaving traces unlike those produced by ordinary erosion processes familiar on our planet.
- Data source: New Horizons image archive
- Location: steep crater walls on Pluto
- Scale: volume exceeding that of some urban regions on Earth
The results add to a growing body of evidence that surface features in the outer solar system can be reshaped by sizable mass movements. The precise forces that triggered the displacements remain uncertain without further in-situ measurements.