Abstract
Data from the New Horizons spacecraft revealed that terrains on Pluto span a variety of ages, with a number of large areas exhibiting few-to-no craters, implying they are relatively young [e.g., 1,2,3,4]. Some of these young regions may be explained by sublimation and re-deposition of volatile ices (N2, CH4, and CO) over time, and some by convection of volatile ices [e.g., 5] and/or glacial flow. One vast, unique region does not appear to be made up of or explained by volatile ices. This young region (here called the Wright Mons region) is dominated by enormous rises with hummocky flanks (Fig. 1). Similar features do not exist anywhere else in the imaged solar system. We analyze the geomorphology and composition of the features and conclude this region was resurfaced by cryovolcanic processes, of a type and scale so far unique to Pluto [6]. Creation of this terrain likely required multiple eruption sites and a large volume of material (>104 km3 ) to form what we propose are multiple, several-km-high domes, some of which merge to form more complex planforms. The existence of these massive features suggests Pluto’s interior structure and evolution allows for either enhanced retention of heat or more heat overall than was anticipated before New Horizons, which permitted mobilization of water ice-rich materials relatively late in Pluto’s history.