Presentation #114.02 in the session “Pluto System”.
The Wright Mons region is unique both on Pluto and in the imaged solar system. The region consists of a young surface (with few-to-no impact craters) and enormous rises (50+ km across and 2-7 km high) with an undulating, hummocky-like surface texture. Most indications point to the features being formed from endogenic emplacement of icy material onto the surface – i.e. cryovolcanism. We will present new morphologic measurements, new composition analysis, and new insights into the configuration of the region. We will summarize the evidence for multiple eruption events, and the we explore a set of possible volcanic analogue processes ranging from central-vent dome growth to thin-skinned folding. These features share some similarities to volcanic features across the solar system, but also many differences. The combination of materials and conditions on Pluto may lead to these distinctive morphologies.