A team of scientists has ascertained that Pluto’s cryovolcanic activities yielded unique structures on its surface. The material from below its surface could have created different land formations such as domes, hills, mounds, and depressions.
In an exploratory mission done by NASA’s New Horizons team, experts have determined the cryovolcanic activities caused large areas or regions to form. Kelsi Singer, the deputy project scientist of this program, and his team analyzed one of the formed regions, the Sputnik Planitia. This area is full of gigantic volcanoes, with domes ranging from 1 to 7 kilometers (about one-half to 4 miles) tall and 30 to 100 or more kilometers (about 18 to 60 miles) across, that sometimes merge to form more complex structures.
These geographical formations are believed to be formed thanks to the possibility that Pluto's interior structure retained heat into the relatively recent past, enabling water-ice-rich materials to be deposited onto the surface.
Image credit: NASA