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Endogenic heat at Enceladus' north pole
Georgina Miles1, Carly J A Howett2,3, Francis Nimmo4
1Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA.
Science Advances
|November 7, 2025
Summary
Enceladus
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Astrobiology
- Geophysics
Background:
- Enceladus's long-term ocean survival hinges on the balance between internal heat production and loss.
- Previous heat loss measurements were limited to the south pole.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate heat loss at Enceladus's north pole.
- To determine if the north pole also exhibits anomalous heat emission.
- To constrain models of Enceladus's internal heat and ocean evolution.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer data comparing winter and summer observations.
- Analyzed thermal radiance to infer surface temperature variations.
- Accounted for uncertainties in emissivity and thermal inertia.
Main Results:
- Observed a winter temperature approximately 7 Kelvin warmer than predicted by passive models.
- Quantified an additional endogenic heat flux of 46 ± 4 milliwatts per square meter.
- Inferred a local ice shell thickness of 20–23 kilometers.
Conclusions:
- Enceladus's north pole exhibits significant endogenic heat flux, similar to the south pole.
- The findings support thicker ice shell models and provide new constraints for planetary evolution models.
- This heat flux is crucial for understanding the habitability and long-term survival of Enceladus's subsurface ocean.
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