Ceres Geology Options

[remcook]

Paper out tomorrow: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25849871
Very exciting that we will visit this world soon!

[nprev]

Have to wonder if this is partially endogenic, though I can't think of a mechanism unless Ceres is somehow unusually rich in core radioactives. However, since these phenomena appear to coincide with perihelion, a more pertinent question is why Ceres looks so much like a rather ordinary rocky small body dominated by cratering given how fast-acting some of these processes may be.

Volatile deposits may be isolated and widely dispersed, the regolith may vary substantially in thickness, the thermal properties of surface and near-surface materials may vary, all or none of the above. A great many possibilities and questions spring to mind; be fun to see how the pros weigh in.