Science

Pluto glacier markings may indicate recent liquid nitrogen flow, ScienceDaily reports

ScienceDaily reports that New Horizons observations and computer models suggest nitrogen could melt beneath Sputnik Planitia and rise to its surface.

Updated Sep 17, 2026 · 06:24 UTC1 reports

The short version

Researchers studying New Horizons observations identified dark markings on Pluto’s Sputnik Planitia glacier that appear consistent with liquid nitrogen emerging through cracks.[ScienceDaily]
Computer models indicate nitrogen ice could melt at the glacier’s base and rise through narrow channels, potentially producing the observed surface markings.[ScienceDaily]
The findings suggest possible recent liquid flow, not confirmation that seepage continues today. More than half of Pluto remains unmapped at high resolution.[ScienceDaily]

Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute, principal investigator of New Horizons, led the research using the spacecraft’s observations.[ScienceDaily]
The study’s models indicate that nitrogen could melt beneath Sputnik Planitia and travel upward through narrow channels.[ScienceDaily]
The findings were published in the peer-reviewed Planetary Science Journal.[ScienceDaily]

Liquid nitrogen flow is a proposed explanation for the markings; ongoing seepage has not been confirmed.[ScienceDaily]
Whether similar processes occur elsewhere on Pluto remains unknown, with more than half the dwarf planet lacking high-resolution mapping.[ScienceDaily]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.