Pluto’s famous “heart,” Sputnik Planitia, may be a massive impact basin. However, its history and influence on the evolution of Pluto remains unknown. We utilized a combination of hydrocode and finite element modeling to simulate the formation and evolution of Sputnik Planitia over geologic time to see if a subsurface ocean was needed to produce the basin as we see it today. Image via NASA.
Combining modeling techniques allowed us to track the evolution of the basin through cooling and viscoelastic relaxation over geologic time to determine how Sputnik Planitia might become a positive mass anomaly, or mascon based on its current location. Image via NASA.
Our results suggest that not only did the formation of Sputnik influence Pluto on a global scale, but its formation and subsequent evolution are most consistent with Pluto retaining a large subsurface ocean over geologic time. However, it’s also possible that, if the impactor hitting Pluto was a rocky one, an ocean might not be needed after all! Relevant papers can be found here, here and here. Image via NASA