Scientists, studying images taken by the New Horizons probe in 2015, have discovered large-scale landslides on Pluto. Some of them left behind debris fields that could cover the area of a small city on Earth, reports Space.com.

What researchers found

A team led by geologist Marco Emanuele Discenza analyzed images from the LORRI camera. They identified compelling evidence of six major landslides on the inner walls of three craters on the western edge of Sputnik Planitia — the famous "heart-shaped" region on Pluto.

The landslides left behind extensive debris aprons. The largest of these extend from 10 to 14.5 km. One such apron covers an area of about 130 square kilometers — enough to completely bury a small city or large town.

Why landslides on Pluto are so massive

Scientists note that the landslides on Pluto turned out to be among the most "mobile" in the Solar System. This is explained by the planet's low gravity and the low friction of the icy debris. As a result, the material traveled over very long distances.

In Coffin Crater, the landslide was likely triggered by the impact of a smaller meteorite. The nature of the remaining five events remains less clear. They may have been caused by thermal stresses in the surface ice due to periodic temperature changes as Pluto moves in its elongated orbit.

Significance of the discovery

Landslides are an important process shaping the surface of celestial bodies. Their discovery on Pluto confirms that the dwarf planet is still geologically active, albeit on very slow, geological timescales.

In brief

Large landslides have been discovered on Pluto, some of which left debris aprons covering up to 130 km² — enough to bury a small city. These are the first confirmed landslides on the dwarf planet. They were made possible by low gravity and low friction of the icy material. The discovery indicates ongoing geological activity on Pluto. The results were published in the journal Icarus.