Stability of the subsurface ocean of pluto

Abstract

We explore the long-term evolution of Pluto’s subsurface ocean in the absence of an insulating clathrate hydrate layer. Numerical simulations of the thermal history of the interior are performed using a 1D model assuming Pluto was initially differentiated into an outer hydrosphere (H2O shell) and an inner rocky core. We consider two end-member initial conditions: the hydrosphere was either entirely molten or frozen. We also consider different radiogenic heating rates, core sizes, ice reference viscosities, and ammonia concentrations. Our results indicate that the present-day Pluto can possess a subsurface ocean if the ice shell is purely conductive or only weakly convective. Our results also indicate that the initial state affects only little on the evolution scenario. These results strengthen previous conclusions obtained based on thermal evolution studies with limited calculation conditions. The thickness of the present-day ocean can be up to ~130 ​km, depending on the radiogenic heating rate and ice reference viscosity. The reference viscosity of ice required to maintain an ocean until today for the case of a CI chondritic core is approximately an order of magnitude higher than that for the case of an ordinary chondritic core. We also find that a thick subsurface ocean can be maintained until relatively recently for a dense small core case, which allows the formation of high-pressure ice at the seafloor. An inclusion of ammonia in the ocean increases the possibility of the current presence of a subsurface ocean even in the case of 1 ​wt% NH3 at the initial.