 The geological evolution of Ceres was dependent on the heat sources available during and after its formation : friction from planetesimal accretion , and decay of various radionuclides ( possibly including short @-@ lived isotopes such as the cosmogenic nuclide aluminium @-@ 26 ) . These are thought to have been sufficient to allow Ceres to differentiate into a rocky core and icy mantle soon after its formation . This process may have caused resurfacing by water volcanism and tectonics , erasing older geological features . Due to its small size , Ceres would have cooled early in its existence , causing all geological resurfacing processes to cease . Any ice on the surface would have gradually sublimated , leaving behind various hydrated minerals like clay minerals and carbonates . 
