the dwarf planet Ceres were imaged by the Dawn spacecraft, leading to speculation about a possible cryovolcanic origin. In September 2016, NASA JPL and NASA Goddard scientists released findings that the large Ahuna Dome on Ceres is a "volcanic dome unlike any seen elsewhere in the solar system. [The large] mountain is likely volcanic in nature. Specifically, it would be a cryovolcano -- a volcano that erupts a liquid made of volatiles such as water, instead of silicates. ... the only known example of a cryovolcano that potentially formed from a salty mud mix, and that formed in the geologically recent past." In addition, at least some of Ceres' well-known bright spots (notably including the ones in Occator crater) are likely also cryovolcanic in origin. A study published in March 2017 suggests that Occator's most recent large eruption occurred about 4 million years ago and thus that Ceres may still be active. See also References External links Triton - Triton at the eight Planets South Pole of Triton - Triton at SolarViews.com Enceladus' South Polar Stripes Spew "Warm" Water - News article at the Planetary Society Cryovolcanism on Charon and other Kuiper Belt Objects Ice Volcanoes of Lake Superior's South Shore Volcanology Planetary geology