Methane Dunes on Pluto: One of the Most Unexpected Discoveries of New Horizons (4 photos)

On July 14, 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft made a historic flyby of the Pluto system, transmitting an unprecedented amount of data about the dwarf planet and its moons back to Earth.





Very young methane dunes lie at the foot of Pluto's mountains.

During subsequent detailed analysis of Pluto's images, scientists discovered numerous dunes spread across the icy surface of this distant Kuiper Belt world.

These formations, concentrated primarily near the mountain ranges framing the famous Sputnik Planitia—a gigantic ice plain with an average diameter of 1,492 kilometers—formed in just a few decades or hundreds of years.

In geological terms, Plutonian dunes, composed of tiny particles of frozen methane, can be called "babies." This is especially impressive compared to Martian dunes, which can take thousands or even millions of years to form.



Some of these dunes are younger than any of you!

The existence of such young dunes suggests that geological activity and atmospheric processes on Pluto are much more intense than previously thought. Moreover, the presence of dunes clearly indicates the presence of wind activity capable of transforming the landscape.

On our planet, such formations are formed by aeolian transport—a process in which wind moves particles across the surface, causing them to disperse, roll, bounce, settle, and then coalesce again.





Mountain ranges located north of the dunes

However, on Pluto, local winds are too weak for classic aeolian transport. Scientists suggest that sublimation—the direct transition of ice to a gaseous state, bypassing the liquid phase—plays a key role. This phenomenon throws up particles, which are then picked up by downdrafts from the surrounding mountains, completing the formation of methane dunes.



The dunes provide clues to the direction of downdrafts from the surrounding mountains.

Despite its enormous distance from the Sun, Pluto remains a remarkably active celestial body, holding many secrets. NASA is planning a targeted mission, Persephone, to uncover these secrets, but for now, this is just a concept.