Scientists analyzing images from NASA’s New Horizons mission report evidence for landslides on Pluto for the first time. The findings come from a paper published in the journal Icarus, which examines imagery captured during New Horizons’ Pluto flyby. According to the study, six large landslides are identified across Pluto’s surface within three impact craters. The researchers describe the landslides as slope failures that move icy debris downslope. Both sources report that the landslides show unusually long runouts, meaning the displaced material travels substantial distances relative to the apparent height change of the terrain. This combination—large travel distances despite relatively modest vertical drops—suggests debris moves through a low-friction or otherwise easily flowing environment under Pluto’s weak gravity. The study uses these observations to improve understanding of how landslide material behaves on icy worlds and how gravitational slope failures can occur in conditions unlike those on Earth. No additional missions are involved in the report; the conclusions are drawn from existing New Horizons data.
New Horizons images reveal six massive landslides on Pluto
Scientists analyzing images from NASA’s New Horizons mission report evidence for landslides on Pluto for the first time. The findings come from a paper published in the journal Icarus, which examines...
- Scientists detect evidence of landslides on Pluto for the first time using New Horizons images.
- A paper in Icarus reports six large landslides located in three impact craters.
- The landslides show unusually long runouts relative to the modest drop heights.
- The long runouts suggest debris moves in a low-effective-friction environment.
- The findings are based on imagery collected during New Horizons’ Pluto flyby.
Scientists have detected evidence of landslides on Pluto for the first time. A paper published in the journal Icarus reports that images taken by the New Horizons spacecraft during a flyby revealed six large landslides in three impact craters.
6 hours agoRecent images captured by New Horizons have unveiled six substantial landslides on Pluto, revealing intriguing gravitational slope failures across the dwarf planet's icy landscape. The remarkable distance these landslides traveled, despite their modest drop heights, points to a low effective friction environment. This discovery provides valuable insights into debris dynamics under Pluto's feeble gravity, enriching our comprehension of geological activity on icy worlds far from the sun.
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