July 25th 2016
Edit January 24, 2017 No very confident in the material on this page. Gravity looses its strength by the square of its sources distance meaning the Sun's gravity would be super weak at Pluto's distance. Laki is a crack in the crust of the earth which is pulling apart. I think I stated otherwise on this page. If I had the desire I would probably reread and rewrite this page but alas, I don't.
I have repeatedly argued in favor of Pluto having a uniform core but now I'm going to try to argue in favor of a differentiated core. There is a sea of nitrogen fluid which exist as a toothpaste or putty like material at Sputnik Planum as well as a muddy mound building material at Tartarus Dorsa, it is also seen as an actual liquid forming rivers and lakes, it is also a gas in the atmosphere. If there's a sea of nitrogen on the surface of Pluto then there's likely an ocean of nitrogen below the surface separating the outer crust from an inner core.
My difficulty with the differentiated core model has always been that you need heat to separate dust and rock out of the ice. Some source of heat is required for separation to occur so the question becomes what is the source of heat that has created Sputnik Planum? What is the source of heat that could melt rock hard ice and allow particles to migrate toward Pluto's center creating a core? I've repeatedly indicated the only heat source at Pluto is from impacts but there is another possible method.
I have repeatedly argued in favor of Pluto having a uniform core but now I'm going to try to argue in favor of a differentiated core. There is a sea of nitrogen fluid which exist as a toothpaste or putty like material at Sputnik Planum as well as a muddy mound building material at Tartarus Dorsa, it is also seen as an actual liquid forming rivers and lakes, it is also a gas in the atmosphere. If there's a sea of nitrogen on the surface of Pluto then there's likely an ocean of nitrogen below the surface separating the outer crust from an inner core.
My difficulty with the differentiated core model has always been that you need heat to separate dust and rock out of the ice. Some source of heat is required for separation to occur so the question becomes what is the source of heat that has created Sputnik Planum? What is the source of heat that could melt rock hard ice and allow particles to migrate toward Pluto's center creating a core? I've repeatedly indicated the only heat source at Pluto is from impacts but there is another possible method.
Riding a wave of gravitational energy
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The Pororoca is a tidal wave that occurs when the Atlantic ocean's tide is raised above normal levels (called tidal bore) and violently flows back up into the Amazon river rather than the other way around. The ocean's elevated tide crashes into the out flowing Amazon river creating these tidal waves.
This occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth align linearly with each other (Syzygy) and their combined gravitational pull and energy increases their tug on the Earth and its oceans. This gravitational pull swells the ocean beyond its norm and distorts the Earths mantle. This combination of gravitational forces create the Pororoca causing water to flow into the Amazon rather than out in the form of these massive waves. |
Pluto's current orbit aligns Charon and Pluto directly with the Sun when they are closest to the Sun at perihelion. This amplified gravitational effect reaches its strongest at one single point when the alignment of Sun to Charon to Pluto matches, but the forces ramp up to this event then ramp down as Pluto/Charon approach perihelion then recede from it. This total process takes about 20 years.
Pluto and Charon switch places in their alignment with the Sun every 3.2 days as they rotate around their shared barycenter so the overall effect is a continual back and forth flexing for about 20 years the peak of which occurs 9 to 11 years into the process or while at perihelion. For at least 3 years this alignment was at its strongest or for 1095 days the tidal stretch was intense.
Pluto and Charon switch places in their alignment with the Sun every 3.2 days as they rotate around their shared barycenter so the overall effect is a continual back and forth flexing for about 20 years the peak of which occurs 9 to 11 years into the process or while at perihelion. For at least 3 years this alignment was at its strongest or for 1095 days the tidal stretch was intense.
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Over a 20 year period Pluto and Charon flexed 2,300 times as they migrated into and out of perihelion cycling back and forth every 3 days, this is also the point at which the greatest degree of UV energy is imparted to Pluto.
Couple the increased UV energy due to close proximity to the Sun along with the increase in atmospheric pressure as well as the constant flexing of Pluto's crust and Pluto likely experiences some degree of increased heat energy. While nitrogen on Pluto is normally in a toothpaste consistency thickness, this potential flexing and UV heating process warms Pluto enough that nitrogen reaches its triple point and becomes an actual liquid. Consider the below scenario. |
Pluto/Charon's alignment to each other and Earth during the indicated time frames
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I am told by one smart scientist that the Sun is far too great a distance from Pluto/Charon for syzygy to have any influential tidal effect on either of these two planets.
Pluto's orbit is off center to the Sun (eccentric) creating perihelion and aphelion it's also not in a circular orbit rather it is elliptical sorta squished. Additionally, its north pole over the course of about 2.8 Myr changes its orientation to the Sun, it wobbles 24 degrees, changing the point of its solstice and equinox from a 6 and 12 o-clock to 3 and 9 o-clock position. This orientation shift occurred 800 thousand years ago.
Pluto travels along the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt with it's South pole facing forward as it approached perihelion. Charon has an impact site of red tholin material on its North pole at Mordor. At some point in their orbit while Pluto/Charon were in the Kuiper Belt (most likely at aphelion deepest into the Kuiper belt), Charon impacted a RED object which was nearly identical to 1994 JR1 on its North pole.
This impact fractured Charon's southern hemisphere. If the impact occurred while at perihelion the planetary wide flexing that was occurring every 3 days would have broken the fragments off Charon's southern hemisphere and the increased gravitational pull exerted by the Sun's co-alignment with Pluto during one of its three day cycles would have pulled the pieces into Pluto at the side facing Charon.
These shards along with the extra gravitational stresses and softened land ice due to flexing would have created SP. All this energy likely served to allow heavier elements like radioactive silicate rock to migrate toward Pluto's core.
This would help explain Pluto's stretch marks as this whole increase of energy from a Mordor impact, Charon's shards hitting Pluto, UV radiation, tidal flexing/stretching and radioactive decay would heat Pluto warming the nitrogen causing it to expand under the crust, all working together to create Sputnik Planum and an atmospheric increase in pressure, along with an internal increase in pressure as nitrogen expanded into a fluid. This whole network of interactions would then continue to feed itself every orbit around the Sun - minus Mordor and Charon's shards which initiated the whole thing.
This impact fractured Charon's southern hemisphere. If the impact occurred while at perihelion the planetary wide flexing that was occurring every 3 days would have broken the fragments off Charon's southern hemisphere and the increased gravitational pull exerted by the Sun's co-alignment with Pluto during one of its three day cycles would have pulled the pieces into Pluto at the side facing Charon.
These shards along with the extra gravitational stresses and softened land ice due to flexing would have created SP. All this energy likely served to allow heavier elements like radioactive silicate rock to migrate toward Pluto's core.
This would help explain Pluto's stretch marks as this whole increase of energy from a Mordor impact, Charon's shards hitting Pluto, UV radiation, tidal flexing/stretching and radioactive decay would heat Pluto warming the nitrogen causing it to expand under the crust, all working together to create Sputnik Planum and an atmospheric increase in pressure, along with an internal increase in pressure as nitrogen expanded into a fluid. This whole network of interactions would then continue to feed itself every orbit around the Sun - minus Mordor and Charon's shards which initiated the whole thing.
Another scenario
According to NASA, Pluto/Charon's north pole orientation changes over time relative to the Sun. A million years ago their north poles would have pointed directly at the Sun as they passed the center of their elliptical orbit (near 9 and 3 o-clock) rather than at perihelion. This would have doubled the number of times they experienced tidal flexing.
Consider this scenario. Pluto/Charon at aphelion (farthest from the Sun at 50 AU) begin traveling out of the Kuiper belt moving closer to the Sun and around 45 to 40 AU, Charon collides with an object on its north pole at Mordor. If Charon was impacted on its north pole while on its way out of the Kuiper belt, this may have fractured Charon's southern hemisphere. Then perhaps only 40 to 50 years passed before Pluto/Charon entered into close enough proximity to the Sun for them to begin aligning with the Sun's gravitational force combining their pull with the Sun's on the other body.
March 31st 2018
Note; I now question whether the combined alignment of Pluto and Charon with the Sun at perihelion could induce any degree of tidal flex energy as tidal flex energy is reduced by the square of its distance and at perihelion Pluto/Charon are 30 AU from the Sun. All the other facts about solstice, equinox, polar alignment, rotation, tilt and wobble are correct.
Consider this scenario. Pluto/Charon at aphelion (farthest from the Sun at 50 AU) begin traveling out of the Kuiper belt moving closer to the Sun and around 45 to 40 AU, Charon collides with an object on its north pole at Mordor. If Charon was impacted on its north pole while on its way out of the Kuiper belt, this may have fractured Charon's southern hemisphere. Then perhaps only 40 to 50 years passed before Pluto/Charon entered into close enough proximity to the Sun for them to begin aligning with the Sun's gravitational force combining their pull with the Sun's on the other body.
March 31st 2018
Note; I now question whether the combined alignment of Pluto and Charon with the Sun at perihelion could induce any degree of tidal flex energy as tidal flex energy is reduced by the square of its distance and at perihelion Pluto/Charon are 30 AU from the Sun. All the other facts about solstice, equinox, polar alignment, rotation, tilt and wobble are correct.
When aligned so that their rotations are in line with the Sun, every 3 days one would have additional gravitational pull on the other causing tidal stretching. performing the same scenario as above but at the 9 and 3 o-clock positions instead of only at 6 o-clock. This would double the number of tidal flexing events. Pluto wouldn't have been as close to the Sun in this scenario during tidal flexing but its equator would have been exposed to more hours of sunlight each day and the process would have happened twice each orbit during equinox.
This scenario would have initiated millions of years ago when their north poles were aligned differently than today while the first scenario would have been a more recently initiated event. Because of the near circular orbits of the small moons this second scenario is more likely. But then again can we say definitively that a circular orbit equals a billion year time frame? Not if you consider Mercury's theoretically 4 billion year time frame and its eccentric orbit of .205 being almost the same as Pluto's at .244. If Mercury has been in orbit for 4 billion years then it should have a circular orbit not an eccentric one, yet it is nearly the same as Pluto's, therefore, saying circular orbits equal at least 1 billion years of settling time does not completely fit what we observe.
As difficult as it is for me to see Pluto as differentiated because of the extreme cold conditions, it does appear this could be a reasonable hypothesis. One thing I am pretty sure of is that Pluto has an outer crust with a fluid separating it from an inner sphere. The inner sphere could be a core of rock or ice. If its rock it would help push along the processes we see at SP so again its a reasonable assumption based on observations. The key determining factor is time. How long has SP been around? If SP is young then there may not be a radioactive core. If, however, SP is old then there likely is a radioactive core assisting with the flexing at equinox and UV energy.
This scenario would have initiated millions of years ago when their north poles were aligned differently than today while the first scenario would have been a more recently initiated event. Because of the near circular orbits of the small moons this second scenario is more likely. But then again can we say definitively that a circular orbit equals a billion year time frame? Not if you consider Mercury's theoretically 4 billion year time frame and its eccentric orbit of .205 being almost the same as Pluto's at .244. If Mercury has been in orbit for 4 billion years then it should have a circular orbit not an eccentric one, yet it is nearly the same as Pluto's, therefore, saying circular orbits equal at least 1 billion years of settling time does not completely fit what we observe.
As difficult as it is for me to see Pluto as differentiated because of the extreme cold conditions, it does appear this could be a reasonable hypothesis. One thing I am pretty sure of is that Pluto has an outer crust with a fluid separating it from an inner sphere. The inner sphere could be a core of rock or ice. If its rock it would help push along the processes we see at SP so again its a reasonable assumption based on observations. The key determining factor is time. How long has SP been around? If SP is young then there may not be a radioactive core. If, however, SP is old then there likely is a radioactive core assisting with the flexing at equinox and UV energy.
While we can see that the fluid from SP wraps quite far around Pluto, it does not wrap all the way around as to the west of SP the land ice covered in tar like tholin indicates that surface has been stable for a very long time. Somewhere on the back side of Pluto a transition takes place in the terrain. From what I see, it appears as though there is a diagonal migration of the dark red material east and south of SP which remains mostly in tact as it wraps completely around the southern hemisphere and back side of Pluto until it becomes the western edge of SP.
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The central point around which the Earth and Moon rotate called the barycenter is about a thousand miles from the Earth's surface or a quarter the distance to its actual center. As the Moon orbits the earth it pulls and stretches this spot.
This creates deformations in the Earths outer crust and causes volcanic eruptions. This is likely why Sputnik Planum is directly opposite Charon. SP is a location at which Pluto is ripping apart and spewing out its fluid interior just like magma does on Earth. While Pluto and Charon are tidally locked relative to each other they still orbit around the Sun in an eccentric pattern. This creates an additional pull and stretching effect when they align with the Sun just like we see with the Pororoca. While the Earth and Moon's barycenter orbits around the Sun in a near circular pattern (red circular line path), the Earth and Moon's orbit itself is a more irregular pattern (white line) as the two wobble around the barycenter. These irregularities in orbit cause a great deal of gravitational pulling and stretching which leads to cracks in the Earth opening and spewing out magma. This process also likely occurs on Pluto and Charon. |
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Updates below August 11, 2016
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Lakagigar or Laki for short is a series of volcanic fissure vents that follow the Mid Atlantic ridge where the North American and Eurasian Plates are pulling apart and separating in Iceland. Look at how similar these volcanic fissure mounds look to the cryovolcanoes that run along the ridge line west of SP. |
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Here's Pluto's cryovolcanoes lining the western edge of SP along with a lake that looks very much like the scene at Lakagigar in Iceland. On Earth this scene is occurring at a location where two plates are pulling apart from each other. This seems to indicate Pluto is ripping apart along the western edge of SP. Laki erupted in 1783 and caused global cooling and many deaths around the world. Benjamin Franklin reported on its effects in Europe and North America. |
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In this Google maps satellite view of Laki, I've tried to orient the scene to look as close to the cryovolcanoes on Pluto as I could. vast quantities of magma flowed out of these fissures and you can see ripples and flow patterns emanating out of the Laki volcanic mounds to the left and top. On Pluto the lightly colored mounds and flowing fluid at Sputnik Planum match this scene almost identically. The magma that came out of this line of fissure is the equivalent of the nitrogen fluid on the surface of SP. The terrain surrounding the cryovolcanic fissure's on Pluto is red but immediately next to the fissures the area is dusted in white material all along the fissure line. Each fissure mound is white while the surroundings are red. |
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When Laki erupted it spewed clouds of poisonous gasses into Earth's atmosphere. Pluto likely had its own version of this venting of gasses scenario spewing out from the cryovolcanoes creating an atmosphere of gasses that either heated (atmospheric pressure increase) or cooled the planet (blocked the Sun's UV). The cold temperatures surrounding Pluto would have frozen some of the gasses quickly turning them into a snow. |
On Earth these gasses prevented Sun light from getting to the surface causing global cooling. If something of this nature occurred on Pluto the gasses would likely create more atmospheric pressure which would act to increase the sublimation of some volatiles while at the same time restricting Sun light energy which would cool things. Since Pluto's atmosphere appears to be thin (not blocking UV) and there is snow and tholin developing it seems reasonable to assume the overall effect of these gasses was to increase barometric pressure aiding in releasing volatiles.
Below is my new interpretation of this scene at Sputnik Planum.
- There are tidal stretching and flexing forces on Pluto and Charon as they each align with the Sun every 248 years and reorient every 90 million years during equinox or most recently at perihelion.
- The cryovolcano fissures are evidence of Pluto ripping apart along the western edge of Sputnik Planum.
- To the west (left) of the fissures is old (cratered) rock solid hard land ice covered in tholin and topped with methane snow.
- Some of Pluto's atmosphere is due to the eruptions that occurred at the cryovolcano fissures which has created snow. The rest of the atmosphere is likely the result of sublimation of volatiles at SP, wetlands, Tartarus Dorsa and eastwards.
- To the east (right) of the fissures is broken up blocks of land ice that fractured from the magma like nitrogen material.
- The lake on Pluto which is similar to the one at Laki is evidence of how warmer material actually caused nitrogen to reach its triple point and become a liquid suggesting this area became relatively hot.
- Sputnik Planum is toothpaste like magma fluid welling up from below fractures in the land ice.
- The nitrogen fluid on the surface of SP is more dense than the icebergs that are floating on it meaning it had to be pushed or forced up by pressure from below the surface else it would sink below the less dense water ice.
- The subsurface nitrogen is under pressure and is warmed from below which in turn is causing it to melt and expand.
- For SP to be a massive basin, magma like nitrogen must be getting expelled elsewhere on Pluto i.e. the elevated uplands, Tartarus Dorsa and eastward and at the Burp Bulge called Viking Terra.
- SP is a vast basin (depression) likely caused by the massive pull of Charon as its gravitational pull has sucked the softened land ice into a cavity which in turn is squirting the magma of nitrogen up through the fractured surface.
- The nitrogen is likely responsible for the expansion fractures (stretch marks) seen on Pluto especially at the spider and is likely the ocean of fluid below the surface of Pluto not liquid water.
Here's the Laki fissures again from a farther view, take note of the magma flow toward top left and bottom right of the fissure line. A massive amount of magma was released and belched onto the surface during this event.
The below image is of the continental fault line in Iceland. This is a lake in Thingvellir Iceland. Take note of the fractures in the water and how the land has fractured and dropped creating a basin like area. As magma flows out of one area (Laki), land masses drop into the void left in other areas. I'm not saying these two event occurred at the same time but one does lead to the other. The mountain range in the background is where magma pushed the land upwards while the lake is where the crust of the land collapsed into the underground void left behind as the magma flowed out to other areas.
Looks a lot like SP and even more like the diagonal ridge separating the northern and southern hemisphere of Charon.
Looks a lot like SP and even more like the diagonal ridge separating the northern and southern hemisphere of Charon.
Below is more of an aerial view of this area to give you a better perspective of the surrounding terrain at this fracture called Thingvellir Iceland. This whole area is a basin just like Sputnik Planum. Magma from below the surface has squirted out in other area's or deformed the land into mounds and ridges or even mountains leaving subsurface cavities which the land has collapsed into creating a lake. This is very likely what has happened at SP.
Magma on earth belches up from below the surface which creates cavities under the crust in other areas of the planet. At some point the crust cracks and collapses into the cavity creating a basin which fills with water forming a lake.
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Below and right is Tartarus Dorsa on Pluto with its raised wind blown frosty mud dauber like mountains which have no signs of impacts and wraps far eastwards around Pluto.
No impacts means this land is either very young or it is resurfaced frequently or it is soft enough to absorb impacts and refill quickly, in other words its very much like liquid magma on Earth. Tartarus Dorsa appears to be the area where Pluto's nitrogen (magma) is belching up from below expanding the surface creating the spider cracks or stretch marks and the scarped mountain ranges. There are also obvious lakes of nitrogen. Tartarus Dorsa and eastwards is where the magma is belching out from under the surface and Sputnik Planum is the collapsed basin. |
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SP is under extreme constant (not flexing) gravitational pressure from Charon but that pressure flexes seasonally when Pluto and Charon align directly with the Sun and rotate every three days around their shared barycenter. This strongly suggest there is a warm subsurface heat source probably produced by Pororoca like tidal flexing at perihelion/equinox and possibly by radioactive rock decay (I'm leaning towards tidal flexing). However, with regular seasonal tidal flexing conditions exit which would likely separate out the heavier rocky elements from water ice so radioactive decay is a definite possibility. I am not convinced water ice gets warm enough to become liquid water but nitrogen/methane obviously becomes a muddy magma fluid.
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Now, look again at the western edge of Sputnik Planum along the eastern side of the erupted fissures. There is what appears to be a long fracture along a flat slab of land ice which is raised along its left side and lowered on its right side exactly like we see at Thingvellir Iceland. I've identified the raised broken edge with blue arrows. Don't forget SP is a basin which means the fluid is at a lower elevation than the surrounding land ice. Along the right lowered side are a series of fractured ice blocks or icebergs. The trough's in the nitrogen fluid on SP are outlines of the fractured subsurface land making this whole scene look very much like the crack at Thingvellir lake with its fractured and dropped land along with the cracks in the lake, the only difference being the Iceland fractures run more parallel and Pluto's are more polygonal. The Icelandic picture does show cellular mounds floating just above the water, one is in the foreground while the others are farther back in the image. |
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So! What does this image do to my model related to the diagonal fracture on Charon. On pages 8 and 9 and elsewhere, I suggest the southern hemisphere of Charon was knocked off and the shards ejected into space hitting Pluto creating SP while simultaneously creating the four small moons. This scene at Thingvellir lake does look surprisingly similar to the fracture on Charon. On page 9, I called this ocean erosion not a rift adrift. When you look at the entire lake at Thingvellir you can see this is not two land masses pulling apart rather this is a giant basin of land that collapsed into a hole below the crust. |
This is not a rift pulling apart nor is it ocean erosion, its a fracture or crack created by the earths crust falling into a subsurface cavity below the land similar to a sink hole created by missing subsurface magma.
Burp Bulge west of cryovolcanoes
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Do you remember the Burp Bulge (page 15) just west of the cryovolcanoes.
Sputnik Planum is bordered on all sides by bulging mounds like mountains while displaying fractured broken and dropped land falling into a cavity or basin where fluid resides. Pluto looks a lot like Thingvellir Iceland with all its fault line activities. This whole area is expanding, compressing, folding, stretching, bulging, cracking, collapsing and erupting from fissures and mud mounds flowing with hot (relatively) magma fluids, gasses and water like liquids. Its a caldron of boiling heaving activity. |
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NASA scientist compared the crack on Charon to Valles Marinaris on Mars and the rift valley in Africa and my argument at that time was that the crack on Charon doesn't look anything like those two places and it still doesn't.
I still don't see two land masses pulling apart at Charon but this does look very much like the lake or basin at Thingvellir it also looks similar to the basin at Sputnik Planum. It appears to be an area that collapsed to fill a subsurface void and in the process created pressures that caused a fluid to well up from below. If the smooth southern hemisphere of Charon is a basin (which it appears to be) with 4 mile high walls lining its edges. Then the diagonal fracture and broken away fragments look nearly identical to what we see at Thingvellir lake. This doesn't mean chunks of land ice crust were NOT blown off Charon. It simply means that the southern hemisphere of Charon is a depression or a basin which is exactly how NASA scientists describe Sputnik Planum. |
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Since the smooth southern hemisphere of Charon is bounded by 4 mile high walls with chunks falling diagonally into the fluid, it seems, calling it a basin, albeit a massive one, is a relatively accurate description. All other interpretations I've made about Charon's southern hemisphere can still be used to describe what we see at this location.
In other words, I'm saying I was wrong about this scene being one of ocean erosion. It's more a scene of land mass collapse and a basin filled with a fluid like we see at Thingvellir and Sputnik Planum.
In other words, I'm saying I was wrong about this scene being one of ocean erosion. It's more a scene of land mass collapse and a basin filled with a fluid like we see at Thingvellir and Sputnik Planum.
In Summary
- Pluto likely experiences tidal flexing as the Sun, Charon and Pluto align linearly at least once and sometimes twice during its seasonal orbit. This increased gravitational pull could produce enough heat energy to assist with separating out dust or silicate rock particles into a core.
- Mordor is an impact site that likely initiated this process not too far in the distant past probably around a billion years ago. I rely on the albedo of the small moons and the heavy layer of tholin on Pluto to draw this conclusion. Pluto must have been nearly identical to its current size and dormant for a long time for the tholin to develop into a global thick red tar then SP with its fluid of nitrogen and the atmospheric activity started which began creating the methane snow and gray liquid that has layered on top of the tar like tholin which exist from north to south pole. These things took a long time and occurred prior to SP which I'm suggesting is the result of impacts from Charon's shards.
- The multitude of small angular fragments that landed back onto Charon's frozen taffy like surface speaks to the fact that chunks were dislodged from Charon then bits eventually fell back onto its slowly (or perhaps quickly) hardening surface.
- The southern hemisphere of Charon is a basin like SP meaning it went through some similar processes.
- The cryovolcano fissures along SP western shore are similar to the fissures seen at Laki and are evidence of Pluto ripping apart along the western edge of SP.
- The large tall icebergs or ice blocks along SP western edge demonstrate how this is the deepest section of SP. To the east icebergs become nonexistent or tiny by comparison. The high elevated icebergs demonstrate greater depths exist along the western shore since this is the area Pluto is ripping apart and the relatively hot magma nitrogen is fracturing large chunks of land ice which are floating on the more dense nitrogen magma fluid.
- Pluto may have an active radioactive core creating the nitrogen fluid but because of its size and after 4 billion years this radioactive core if, if it exist, is probably not warm enough to sustain liquid water but may be just warm enough to create a magma like material out of the available nitrogen/methane.
- Pluto's heat source is more likely its eccentric orbit around the Sun along with the Pororoca (linear alignment) effect creating tidal flexing.
- Pluto has stretch marks just as it has a vast quantity of fluid nitrogen/methane since we can see oceans of nitrogen on Pluto's surface it seems reasonable to assume the fluid that makes up Pluto's subsurface ocean is nitrogen not water.
- About half of the surface we can see on the encounter side of Pluto is missing impacts which means this entire area is softened and in a semi fluid state. This surface is being regularly and frequently renewed.
- Pluto's atmosphere becomes thick enough to increase pressures to the point nitrogen reaches its triple point and can become a liquid. Which appears as a yellowish liquid lake east of the cryovolcanoes it similarly appears as grayish lakes around Tartarus Dorsa and gray tributaries, rivers and lakes along the south pole's ridge line.
- Pluto's nitrogen fluid seems to be focused around the equator likely because of rotational spin. This nitrogen fluid extends eastward far beyond SP and displays different properties as you travel from west of SP to the east.
- Sputnik Planum has cryovolcano fissures on its western shore with a broken land ice chunk that looks nearly identical to Thingvellir and similar to Charon's diagonal fracture.
- SP is a basin bounded by elevated land mass, Thingvellir is a similar basin created by a subsurface void which looks like SP and Charon suggesting SP and Charon's south are collapsed land masses filling a cavity created by magma like material (nitrogen) which has been ejecting from other places on the planet, The most obvious area of ejecta on Pluto is the Burp Bulge (Viking Terra), wetlands (uplands), Desert Dunes (Tartarus Dorsa) and east.
- The nitrogen fluid displays different characteristic traits depending on it's location. Near the cryovolcanoes the fluid has created a lake while the fluid on SP is like toothpaste and the fluid east of SP in the uplands/wetlands displays two characteristics, it forms gray running tributaries and isolated standing lakes, it also belches into tiny crater like conically shaped southern facing wind blown mud dauber like scarps which grow higher the farther east you travel from SP.
- The subsurface fluid creating extensional cracks is nitrogen which expands when it transitions from a solid to a fluid magma which likely created the spider with its characteristic stretch mark fractures that migrate into the mud dauber upraised desert dune mountains called Tartarus Dorsa.
