Enceladus, Saturn's sixth-largest moon, is believed to be one of the most reflective bodies of the Solar System because it is covered with fresh, clean ice. Now, scientists are baffled to find evidence that this tiny moon could also be coated in an incredible amount of fuzzy, snow-like material.
New research, titled "Measurements of Regolith Thicknesses on Enceladus: Uncovering the Record of Plume Activity" published in the journal Icarus, reveals that Saturn's tiny ice-covered moon was significantly more tectonically active than previously imagined.
Does Enceladus Have Snow or Regolith?
As per Futurism's report, Enceladus has snow cannon-like plumes erupting from gigantic glacial geysers, depositing immense amounts of particles on its surface in the form of low-density regolith. The smaller and lighter particles are blasted into space, adding to Saturn's huge rings, which provide a stunning portrayal of a lonely alien world.
However, scientists are not entirely sure if there is snow over Enceladus. The study refers to the layer of regolith but the media coverage has largely described it as snow.
Planetary scientist Emily Martin from the National Air and Space Museum in DC and the lead author of the study told Futurism in an email that the material they measured on Enceladus' surface was not due to the planetary atmosphere the way snow is generated. But the way ice plume particles on Saturn's ice-covered moon fall to the surface is like the snow, which makes a perfect analogy.
On the other hand, there is a chance that this snow is not the same as the fluffy one found on Earth. Martin added that they have yet understood the physical properties of this material, something that many scientists attempt to understand as well.
Significance of Finding Thick Snow on Enceladus
Whether the material on Enceladus is a regolith or snow, the team said their findings could serve a critical role in future studies that aim to further investigate or land a probe on its surface. Science Alert reports that the trip would certainly be worth it, given that the moon's subsurface ocean is one of the top places scientists are eyeing to look for signs of extraterrestrial life in the Solar System.
NASA's Cassini mission in 2017 captured high-resolution images that revealed a plethora of "pit chains," which are crater-like geological structures formed when the material is pulled down by a vacuum underneath, similar to lava tubes or limestone caves.
Scientists explained that these pits originated as a result of the moon's ice surface splitting due to pulling gravitational forces, enabling loose drifts to fall into newly created holes underneath. They discovered that the thickness of this regolith averaged around 820 feet, with some regions reaching depths of up to 2,300 feet by measuring these pits.
The team hypothesizes that Enceladus' plumes must have been far more active in the past to account for the thickness of this layer of "low-density/high-porosity material."
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