Plutopalooza

[TomK]

"I can't imagine how that sort of surface variety will ever be explained..."

I'm sure it will be explained, Kirt, but there's still an awful lot of data to be downloaded. My guess, and it is a guess, is that the plateau may have been formed by an impact. The impact energy might have melted nitrogen-rich ices which then refroze into a much more featureless plain.

I'll keep a look-out in the literature to see if there are any feasible explanations.