Discover a Hidden Ocean: Scientists Find a Potentially 100-Mile Deep Sea on Another Moon in Our Solar System!

A recent study reveals that Ariel, a moon of Uranus, likely has a hidden ocean beneath its icy surface. This discovery suggests that its orbit once pulled and pushed its crust, causing significant surface fractures.

The researchers found a correlation between Ariel’s surface features and the stresses caused by its orbit. With an eccentricity of about 0.04, Ariel’s orbit isn’t perfectly circular, which leads to flexing. This flexing generates internal heat, potentially allowing an ocean to exist beneath its ice shell.

Images from Voyager 2 show Ariel’s surface covered in valleys and chasms, which hint at a complex geological history. These fractures and smoother areas likely resulted from cryovolcanism, where slurries of water erupted and spread across the surface. Interestingly, only the southern hemisphere has been extensively imaged, leaving a lot of Ariel still unexplored.

Tidal forces also play a role in Ariel’s geology. As it orbits Uranus, gravitational pulls vary, which heats the moon’s interior. If these forces weakened, the ocean might gradually freeze, creating a mix of ancient and more recent geological features.

One exciting detail is the presence of ammonia on Ariel’s surface. Ammonia lowers water’s freezing point, suggesting that liquid water could still exist in colder conditions. This chemical presence indicates ongoing geological activity that may have pushed material from beneath the surface.

Plans for future exploration are underway. A proposed mission to send an orbiter to Uranus could uncover more about Ariel’s hidden ocean and analyze surface features in greater detail. Tom Nordheim from Johns Hopkins University emphasizes the importance of understanding the Uranus system, hinting that it might be home to more than one ocean world.

The study about Ariel’s ocean is published in Icarus. New missions could provide critical insights, transforming our understanding of how such moons evolve and what lies beneath their icy skins.

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