What evidence suggests that hydrothermal vents exist on Enceladus?

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Saturn Saturn and its spectacular rings, in a natural-color composite of 126 images taken by the Cassini spacecraft on October 6, 2004. The view is directed toward Saturn's southern hemisphere, which is tipped toward the Sun. Shadows cast by the rings are visible against the bluish northern hemisphere, while the planet's shadow is projected on the rings to the left.

Evidence for the existence of hydrothermal vents on Enceladus is primarily derived from the analysis of silicate dust grains ejected from the moon's plumes.1

These findings suggest that liquid water within the moon's global subsurface ocean comes into contact with a rocky core, where it is heated by interaction with hot rocky material. This process is further supported by the presence of sodium and other minerals within the ice particles of the plumes, which indicates that the liquid water must have been in contact with a rocky ocean floor to dissolve these substances.1

These hydrothermal systems are linked to the moon's ongoing geological activity, characterized by high heat flow and cryovolcanism occurring along tectonic fractures known as "tiger stripes" in the south polar region.1