NASA Scientists say, Pluto’s Icy Heart is very much Alive and Kicking

• Scientists find evidence that Pluto's surfaces are re-paved through convection every 500,000 years
• The energy to power this activity comes from decaying radioactive elements
• The movement of nitrogen ice layers helps power the planet's atmosphere

The primary attraction of the photos that were sent back from NASA's New Horizons Spacecraft, which made a 2015 voyage around Pluto, was the huge heart shape on the planet's surface. The heart shape is considered to be a plain named Sputnik Planum that has no visible craters that were detectable by New Horizons, leading to the conclusion that it is less than 2 million years old.

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The heart-shaped Sputnik Planum undergoes a very interesting internal activity through which its surface is repaved every 500,000 years. This period may seem very slow on the human clock, but scientists say 500,000 years is rapid on the geographical timeline.

The process, called convection, replaces older nitrogen ice sheets with newer ones, with the help of reservoirs that are several miles deep. The newer layers of ice spread out on the surface and replenish any craters that might have formed, making the plain look perpetually youthful.

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"We found evidence that even on a distant cold planet billions of miles from Earth, there is sufficient energy for vigorous geological activity, as long as you have 'the right stuff,' meaning something as soft and pliable as solid nitrogen," noted William McKinnon, who is co-investigator on the New Horizons science team.

The energy to power the continuous processes revolving around convection has its source in the decaying radioactive elements embedded in the surface.

"Not only is it the heart of Pluto, it's the beating heart," says Bill McKinnon of Washington University in St Louis. "There are actually things happening. If we were to come back in 100,000 years, the pattern would be markedly altered."

It is yet uncertain whether this feature is unique to Pluto's surface, or it is also common to other planets found in the neighborhood of Pluto, such as Makemake or Eris. Celestial bodies in the Kuiper Belt could also possess these surfaces. The constant movement of nitrogen ice sheets is believed to help support Pluto's atmosphere.

-by Saurabh Bodas, an intern at NewsGram. Twitter: @saurabhbodas96

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