March 26th 2016
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Depressing Impressions
Since I've been exploring Pluto I've been puzzled by depressions in the landscape. The depression in this image is what I originally referred to as the Dried Western Basin (NASA's Piri Planitia).
These depressions have walls that appear as though they held back a fluid. My first question is are these impressions or depressions? An impression comes from an outward pressing force like in the case of impacts. Dictionary.com defines depression like this. an area completely or mostly surrounded by higher land, ordinarily having interior drainage and not conforming to the valley of a single stream. That seems to fit the scene so depression it is. NASA scientists interpretation of what caused these depressions is sublimation or evaporation as it eats away at the surface. This theory forces me to ask one simple question. Why would a sublimating solid display the outline appearance of a fluid when by definition sublimation bypasses the fluid stage all together? |
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Fluid
This depression has smooth walls that look like they were holding back a fluid.
The fluid, however, wasn't necessarily on top of the surface. Hint. |
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This depression near the south pole is covered in red tholin tar. It shows the outline of smooth walls that look like they were once containing a fluid. But not necessarily on top, we are going to have to invert our perspective to understand this.
Seems to me the red tholin would have acted like a blanket preventing surface sublimation. I don't see how sublimation can be used to describe the process at this site as well as Piri Planitia. |
Pluto's Rosetta Stone
Below is an area on Pluto's north eastern section.
I've outlined in red, areas around an impact that appear to be distended and with blue, I've outlined depressions.
One thing that is obvious is that the impact created at least one fracture line or crack which runs horizontally westward from the impact site. Either the snow is falling into the fracture creating conically shaped holes which dot the fracture line or gasses may be venting out of the fracture creating conically shaped holes.
The depression number 1 connects to the horizontal fracture as it is in fact part of it. Notice how depression 1 displays the shape of a fluid rather than a line like the holes lining the fracture. This whole scene appears to be demonstrating how an object impacted the land ice with enough energy to create a large bulge by liquefying the local subsurface. This impact also created a crack which allowed for more rapid cooling than in some other areas. Emanating southward from the crack, a depression in the shape of a fluid has developed. Other sections have cooled enough to create depressions which are in the shape of a fluid which developed below the land ice. In time, the whole area outlined in red will freeze and depress creating an inversion that appears to be a fluid lined dried basin like the western basin.
The overall scene here is an object impacted creating the outer red ringed bulge by turning the subsurface into a fluid that expands below the surface distending the land ice. A fracture was also created expediting some of the cooling process along this crack. This is a localized shock wave bulge of liquid from this impact. As pockets of subsurface fluid cool they collapse leaving the depressions we see on the surface. Eventually the whole bulged area will cool leaving an imprint or outline of the subsurface fluid that was created by shock waves. This is what happened at the western basin area and the NE finger. The shock waves that created the western basin area and the NE finger came from the opposite side of Pluto which also created Sputnik Planum along with Pitts' Pits. The most significant damage caused was felt at the southern area and eased as it migrated toward the north, this is seen in the cooling process displayed as depressions.
I've outlined in red, areas around an impact that appear to be distended and with blue, I've outlined depressions.
One thing that is obvious is that the impact created at least one fracture line or crack which runs horizontally westward from the impact site. Either the snow is falling into the fracture creating conically shaped holes which dot the fracture line or gasses may be venting out of the fracture creating conically shaped holes.
The depression number 1 connects to the horizontal fracture as it is in fact part of it. Notice how depression 1 displays the shape of a fluid rather than a line like the holes lining the fracture. This whole scene appears to be demonstrating how an object impacted the land ice with enough energy to create a large bulge by liquefying the local subsurface. This impact also created a crack which allowed for more rapid cooling than in some other areas. Emanating southward from the crack, a depression in the shape of a fluid has developed. Other sections have cooled enough to create depressions which are in the shape of a fluid which developed below the land ice. In time, the whole area outlined in red will freeze and depress creating an inversion that appears to be a fluid lined dried basin like the western basin.
The overall scene here is an object impacted creating the outer red ringed bulge by turning the subsurface into a fluid that expands below the surface distending the land ice. A fracture was also created expediting some of the cooling process along this crack. This is a localized shock wave bulge of liquid from this impact. As pockets of subsurface fluid cool they collapse leaving the depressions we see on the surface. Eventually the whole bulged area will cool leaving an imprint or outline of the subsurface fluid that was created by shock waves. This is what happened at the western basin area and the NE finger. The shock waves that created the western basin area and the NE finger came from the opposite side of Pluto which also created Sputnik Planum along with Pitts' Pits. The most significant damage caused was felt at the southern area and eased as it migrated toward the north, this is seen in the cooling process displayed as depressions.
This object was traveling from the NE when it impacted as the majority of the sub surface flow is in the SW.
Below is the same scene without lines. Do you see it?
Below is the same scene without lines. Do you see it?
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This image is outlining the Dried Western Basin Finger
The outline continues to naturally join its shape with the bulge outline showing how the bulge is causing the tar like tholin to slide down and create the same fluid outline as seen at the basin. When the fluid under the bulge cools a depression will be exhibited matching the western basin's outline. Eventually this will all look like one continuous dried basin. This demonstrates the fluid from Sputnik Planum (SP) is not filling this area but this area is recovering from shock waves and is cooling and retreating back to the area of most damage which is the southern most section of SP. |
The BIG picture
Time for a shift in focus, we're going underground to turn things upside down. Look at the image below, I've outlined the area's where the fluid that we see visibly at Sputnik Planum spreads underground and penetrates deeply into the land ice, not deep as in depth below but penetrating across and under the land surface.
Two massive basins or depressions provide the outline of how the fluid once flowed underground then cooled depressing the landscape. I labeled them "Western Finger" and "NE Finger" The fingers that are farthest from SP hot spots have depressed surfaces while the underground fluid that is still actively in a fluid state display's a pattern of discoloration and then there's the "Burp Bulge" which is distended at its center.
While studying the Burp Bulge I wanted to find fissure or vents or geysers or anything to show that gasses were escaping from it. I looked and looked and looked, no evidence of vents. So calling this a burp is misleading as it implies gas. Instead there is a fluid underground that was created by shock waves that turned solids into fluid. At this point I need to flip, invert and adjust my assumptions.
While there are no gasses, something amazing happens to nitrogen when it goes from a liquid to a solid in a low pressure vacuum which is what we have out here. Watch this video to see this process in action.
Two massive basins or depressions provide the outline of how the fluid once flowed underground then cooled depressing the landscape. I labeled them "Western Finger" and "NE Finger" The fingers that are farthest from SP hot spots have depressed surfaces while the underground fluid that is still actively in a fluid state display's a pattern of discoloration and then there's the "Burp Bulge" which is distended at its center.
While studying the Burp Bulge I wanted to find fissure or vents or geysers or anything to show that gasses were escaping from it. I looked and looked and looked, no evidence of vents. So calling this a burp is misleading as it implies gas. Instead there is a fluid underground that was created by shock waves that turned solids into fluid. At this point I need to flip, invert and adjust my assumptions.
While there are no gasses, something amazing happens to nitrogen when it goes from a liquid to a solid in a low pressure vacuum which is what we have out here. Watch this video to see this process in action.
When H2O is a liquid and it freezes it's crystalline structure makes the ice less dense than water hence, ice floats.
Liquid nitrogen does the opposite. When it freezes its crystalline structure becomes more dense than it is while in a fluid state.
There's some obvious signs of fluid under the land surface of the Burp Bulge.
The Western and NE Finger depressions are part of a huge pattern which incorporates nearly half of Pluto.
Nitrogen and the other gasses when heated enough by shock waves from impacts become a fluid (and possibly gas) which bulges the land upward until, in time, the cooling process allows the land to constrict leaving a depression. At places like SP the fluid has easily broken through the fractured land ice and spills out but the damage at the Burp Bulge wasn't strong enough to break through the center of the mound.
The underside of the land is corroded away by the fluid, creating upside down inverted lakes. When this fluid freezes again the land sinks to fill the underground cavity which displays features of fluid flows in the walls on the surface.
The Western and NE fingers farthest from the heat source have cooled first and solidified leaving an imprint of the underground processes and are displayed on the surface furthest from SP.
The burp bulge indicates this area is raised demonstrating signs of active fluid below. I just read about pingos and they describe my burp bulge pretty well. See diagram below.
In time the fluid under the bulge will cool and the bulge will invert which will further extend the look of the western dried basin finger all the way to the edge of Sputnik Planum.
This all seems to indicate the fluid is receding as it cools back into a solid as it hardens and retreats back towards the hot spots at SP.
It appears as though the heating effect at SP extended half way round the globe but the outer edges have cooled and in time SP will cool also then we just have to wait for the next big impact for more geology.
The fluid at Sputnik Planum is not driving outward, the damage was done a long time ago and the damage is being healed as the surface cools from the farthest fingers back toward the area that took the most shock wave damage.
Liquid nitrogen does the opposite. When it freezes its crystalline structure becomes more dense than it is while in a fluid state.
There's some obvious signs of fluid under the land surface of the Burp Bulge.
The Western and NE Finger depressions are part of a huge pattern which incorporates nearly half of Pluto.
Nitrogen and the other gasses when heated enough by shock waves from impacts become a fluid (and possibly gas) which bulges the land upward until, in time, the cooling process allows the land to constrict leaving a depression. At places like SP the fluid has easily broken through the fractured land ice and spills out but the damage at the Burp Bulge wasn't strong enough to break through the center of the mound.
The underside of the land is corroded away by the fluid, creating upside down inverted lakes. When this fluid freezes again the land sinks to fill the underground cavity which displays features of fluid flows in the walls on the surface.
The Western and NE fingers farthest from the heat source have cooled first and solidified leaving an imprint of the underground processes and are displayed on the surface furthest from SP.
The burp bulge indicates this area is raised demonstrating signs of active fluid below. I just read about pingos and they describe my burp bulge pretty well. See diagram below.
In time the fluid under the bulge will cool and the bulge will invert which will further extend the look of the western dried basin finger all the way to the edge of Sputnik Planum.
This all seems to indicate the fluid is receding as it cools back into a solid as it hardens and retreats back towards the hot spots at SP.
It appears as though the heating effect at SP extended half way round the globe but the outer edges have cooled and in time SP will cool also then we just have to wait for the next big impact for more geology.
The fluid at Sputnik Planum is not driving outward, the damage was done a long time ago and the damage is being healed as the surface cools from the farthest fingers back toward the area that took the most shock wave damage.
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This is a breakdown of the concentrations of Methane, Nitrogen, Carbon Monoxide and Water on Pluto. Notice how the Nitrogen N2 primarily found at SP also follows the outline of the Dried Western Basin along with the Northeastern finger.
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diagram of a pingo and its formation process
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Pingo mound and pingo crater below
This pingo blew its top
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This pingo has been around for a long time as it has vegetation and a lake on top
I've used the pingos to demonstrate how the Burp Bulge might have formed.
Some scientist at NASA believe Piri Planitia (my Dried Western Basin) was created by sublimation eating away at the surface land ice. You can read about it here. Sublimation is the process of a solid going to a gas while bypassing the liquid state. How a basin which looks like it was created by a liquid can theoretically be created by sublimation which bypasses the liquid stage, escapes me.
