No mountains on Pluto.

No mountains on Pluto.

• A. False
• B. Cannot be determined
• C. There are mountains
• D. True

Answer: (D)

Pluto has mountains. The 2015 New Horizons flyby showed prominent, rugged highlands with peaks several kilometers tall, rising above smoother plains. These mountains are made largely of water ice, which acts like rock at Pluto’s frigid temperatures, while the adjacent plains are composed of nitrogen and methane ices that flow and sublimate differently. Features such as the mountains near Sputnik Planitia—like Norgay Montes and Hillary Montes—provide clear topographic relief, proving that Pluto does indeed host notable mountains. Because of this, the statement that there are no mountains on Pluto isn’t accurate. There are mountains on Pluto.

Pluto has mountains. The 2015 New Horizons flyby showed prominent, rugged highlands with peaks several kilometers tall, rising above smoother plains. These mountains are made largely of water ice, which acts like rock at Pluto’s frigid temperatures, while the adjacent plains are composed of nitrogen and methane ices that flow and sublimate differently. Features such as the mountains near Sputnik Planitia—like Norgay Montes and Hillary Montes—provide clear topographic relief, proving that Pluto does indeed host notable mountains. Because of this, the statement that there are no mountains on Pluto isn’t accurate. There are mountains on Pluto.