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Pluto had volcanoes that spewed “slushy” ice water, new study says - fox29.com - state Colorado - county Boulder
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Pluto had volcanoes that spewed “slushy” ice water, new study says
FILE - Scientists with NASA’s New Horizons mission have assembled this highest-resolution color view of one of two potential cryovolcanoes spotted on the surface of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. Slushies anyone? After years of research, scientists now hypothesize that giant dome-like formations that were first photographed by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 were recently active icy volcanoes, also known as cryovolcanoes. Scientists guessed these cryovolcanoes expelled "slushy" ice water as opposed to molten lava. These formations could indicate that the interior of the giant space rock was warmer than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications on March 29. Researchers believe there may be an insulating layer under Pluto’s surface, kind of like the insulation in a coffee mug that keeps the liquid hot - the same principle applies to Pluto. This built-up heat within Pluto could be how these icy volcanoes produced viscous material and spewed out icy water or slush, Kelsi Singer, senior research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado and lead author of the study, told FOX TV Stations. This recent theory allows scientists to view Pluto as a far more reactive space body than previously believed. "This area is by far the most numerous and the largest icy volcanoes found so far in the solar system," Singer said. "Besides just being a fun fact, this means that Pluto had to have more heat in its interior than we expected.
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