That may sound like a long time, but experts say that makes Sputnik Planum one of the youngest terrains in the solar system. The authors agree that the frequent resurfacing of Sputnik Planum is probably due to a process called convection. When NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft beamed back the first close-up images of Pluto’s surface in July of 2015, scientists were flabbergasted. Scientific calculations suggest that Sputnik Planum is home to all the nitrogen on Pluto – a finding that scientists can’t yet explain. This makes it buoyant enough to rise up through the viscous ice layer, only to be cooled at Pluto’s surface and sink back down.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 01, 2016 17:03 UTC