Published on 2025-10-16

An ancient ocean may have existed beneath the surface of Umbriel

Umbriel is a moon of Uranus whose formation, billions of years ago, caused intense internal heating through radioactive decay. This heat supply may have melted the ice thanks to the presence of ammonia acting as a natural antifreeze. An underground ocean rich in dissolved ammonia could thus have formed at the boundary between the rocky core and the ice mantle, before freezing permanently.
Umbriel (lune)Origine et évolution

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