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- Title
Endogenically sourced volatiles on Charon and other Kuiper belt objects.
- Authors
Menten, Stephanie M.; Sori, Michael M.; Bramson, Ali M.
- Abstract
Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) have diverse surface compositions, and the New Horizons mission to the Pluto-Charon system allows us to test hypotheses on the origin and evolution of these KBO surfaces. Previous work proposed that Charon's organic-rich north pole formed from radiolytically processed volatiles sourced from Pluto's escaping atmosphere. Here, we show an endogenic source of volatiles from Charon's interior is plausible. We calculate that cryovolcanic resurfacing released 1.29 × 1015–3.47 × 1015 kg of methane to Charon's surface from its interior. We modeled volatile transport and found the vast majority of this volcanically released methane migrates to Charon's poles, with deposition rates sufficient to be processed into the observed organic compounds. Irradiated methane products appear on similarly sized KBOs that do not orbit a Pluto-sized object to draw an escaping atmosphere from, so interior-sourced volatiles could be a common and important process across the Kuiper belt. We show cryovolcanic eruptions released sufficient methane to source volatile products on Charon. Irradiated methane products are found on other Kuiper belt objects, so endogenically sourced volatiles could be important across the Kuiper belt.
- Subjects
NEW Horizons (Spacecraft); KUIPER belt; PLUTO (Dwarf planet); SEMIVOLATILE organic compounds; ORGANIC compounds; METHANE
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2022, Vol 13, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-022-31846-8