September 2nd, 2017
I was staring at the below image of erupting volcanoes and suddenly realized something significant.
There is important information left behind in the debris of eruptions.
That fact seems obvious if you are able to walk up to a volcano and study the composition of the material that spewed out of the mouth but what if you only have images of eruptions, then what?
There are some basic bits of details that say something significant when it comes to eruptions and it comes from the color of the smoke.
Dark smoke indicates the ejected material is constructed of solids like rubble, gravel, carbon, soot or dust while white smoke indicates steam, water or volatile ices.
With these two facts a lot can be inferred about Pluto.
On Earth volcanoes spew out combinations of these two forms of smoke.
There is important information left behind in the debris of eruptions.
That fact seems obvious if you are able to walk up to a volcano and study the composition of the material that spewed out of the mouth but what if you only have images of eruptions, then what?
There are some basic bits of details that say something significant when it comes to eruptions and it comes from the color of the smoke.
Dark smoke indicates the ejected material is constructed of solids like rubble, gravel, carbon, soot or dust while white smoke indicates steam, water or volatile ices.
With these two facts a lot can be inferred about Pluto.
On Earth volcanoes spew out combinations of these two forms of smoke.
Two basic volcanic processes take place on Earth. I know its a lot more complicated than that but bear with me.
Surface ejections of volatiles are light colored. Deep ejections of particles are dark colored. This is a generalization not an absolute. The color of the material ejected can indicate the degree of energy required to expel the material. |
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Jupiter
Biggest planet in the solar system with 69 moons
Jupiter moon Io
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Jupiter's closest Galilean moon Io, experiences a high degree of tidal flexing energy such that it has boiled away all the water and has turned Io's rock into a molten ball.
While Io's surface is cold, hot molten rock and sulfur is regularly spilled onto its cold surface. Io's rocky core is heated enough to boil rock depositing dark minerals onto its surface. Minerals are ejected from deep within the planet onto the sulfur rich surface leaving dark streaks and patches. The tidal flex energy experienced on Io is massive and its enough to frequently push heavy minerals from deep inside the moon onto its surface creating dark spots. When there is dark sooty material on rocky surfaces the tidal flex energy is very high. |
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Credit Roman Tkachenko
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very-high-temperature volcanism on Io at Tvashtar called ultramafic lava
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Europa is the next moon out from Io within Jupiter's system.
Europa is an ice ball with fractures in the ice crust similar to Saturn's moon Enceladus but there is a significant difference between the two. Europa's cracks are dark, dirty and filled with something other than the volatile surface ices. This darker material is likely mineral based particulates that are being pushed up from below, a type of dust or smoky material escaping out of subsurface hydrothermal vents.
Wiki quote
Europa is the smoothest known object in the Solar System, there are few craters on Europa, because its surface is tectonically too active and therefore young.
There are no mountains suggesting the icy surface is thin because the internal heat from tidal flex is strong enough to keep the surface ice thin. If the material in Europa's cracks are dark minerals then it means the energy level from tidal flex at Europa is much stronger than that of a moon like Saturn's Enceladus and this dark mineral colorization filling the cracks is an indicator of that higher degree of tidal flex energy.
Update February 02, 2018
This 1998 paper Optical Properties of ices from UV to Infrared shows that sulfur dioxide exist on the surface of both Io and Europa.
Io's density is 3.53 g/cm3 indicating an iron core with lots of rock. with its extremely high tidal flex energy Io is all rock and even that rock is getting boiled away by tidal flex. Io is covered with detectable SO2 or sulfur dioxide as sulfur is released and combined with oxygen when minerals below the surface like pyrite are heated. These fractures are oozing SO2 from heated subsurface minerals.
Wiki quote
Europa is the smoothest known object in the Solar System, there are few craters on Europa, because its surface is tectonically too active and therefore young.
There are no mountains suggesting the icy surface is thin because the internal heat from tidal flex is strong enough to keep the surface ice thin. If the material in Europa's cracks are dark minerals then it means the energy level from tidal flex at Europa is much stronger than that of a moon like Saturn's Enceladus and this dark mineral colorization filling the cracks is an indicator of that higher degree of tidal flex energy.
Update February 02, 2018
This 1998 paper Optical Properties of ices from UV to Infrared shows that sulfur dioxide exist on the surface of both Io and Europa.
Io's density is 3.53 g/cm3 indicating an iron core with lots of rock. with its extremely high tidal flex energy Io is all rock and even that rock is getting boiled away by tidal flex. Io is covered with detectable SO2 or sulfur dioxide as sulfur is released and combined with oxygen when minerals below the surface like pyrite are heated. These fractures are oozing SO2 from heated subsurface minerals.
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Update Dec 1, 2017 Cassini flew past Europa in 2014 then again in 2016 and detected a plume of water ejecting from the same location. Cassini's cosmic dust analyzer revealed there were silicon dioxide grains in the plumes, indicating warm hydrothermal activity. There are minerals getting ejected out of these plumes. |
Europa's thin crust and surface mineral deposits testifies to the strong internal heating taking place from tidal flex energy.
Saturn moon Enceladus
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This is Enceladus a Saturn moon which is tidally flexed enough to form cracks on its icy surface from which water ices erupt and spew outward into space and onto its surface.
There is no dark material associated with these eruptions so minerals from below are not erupting onto the surface only light volatile gasses. |
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When there's nothing but volatile white ices on top of an icy surface tidal flex energy is low.
Below- thick rugged ice crust terrain of Enceladus |
Wiki quote
Much of Enceladus' surface is covered with craters at various densities and levels of degradation. This subdivision of cratered terrains on the basis of crater density (and thus surface age) suggests that Enceladus has been resurfaced in multiple stages. The heavily cratered surface indicates the outer crust ice layer is thick in turn retaining its rough terrain shape and impact craters. This means the tidal flex energy is enough to crack the surface and warm the rocky interior such that there is a subsurface ocean but not enough to force heavier minerals from deep inside onto the surface or to create a thin ice crust. 
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Enceladus' elephant skin terrain with deep impact crater walls and multiple old impacts equals thick crust or low internal tidal flex energy.
Neptune moon Triton
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Triton is in a near perfect circular orbit with Neptune as Pluto is with Charon but both show signs of current activity. Triton is a Neptune captured Kuiper belt object which is very similar to Pluto (its twin) in composition, size, density and surface temperature but it has significantly more tidal flex energy than Pluto which is displayed on their surfaces. |
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The main compositional difference between these two worlds is Pluto is carbon monoxide rich while Triton is carbon dioxide (CO2) rich.
This paper says
The oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide is shown to be catalyzed at 850 K or above over almost all lattice oxygen atoms.
This suggests Triton has been heated much more than Pluto allowing for the bonding of oxygen (O) to CO producing CO2 which also shows up as black soot streaks.
Wiki quote
Triton is one of the few moons in the Solar System known to be geologically active (the others being Jupiter's Io and Saturn's Enceladus). As a consequence, its surface is relatively young with sparse impact craters, and a complex geological history revealed in intricate cryovolcanic and tectonic terrains. Part of its surface has geysers erupting sublimated nitrogen gas.
If Triton was merely erupting nitrogen gas (as Wiki suggests) it wouldn't leave black streaks.
If the eruptions weren't from deep down there wouldn't be black streaks.
When heavy minerals are driven to the surface they leave black streaks.
With high tidal flex energies and subsequently temperatures, the ice crust is thin, carbon dioxide soot is produced and cryovolcanism takes on a more mineral looking aspect.
Triton shows evidence of rocky core volcanic activity carried to the surface by gasses.
We can see black streaks running across Triton's surface where black material spewed out.
The fact that these streaks are dark is SIGNIFICANT. It means minerals came up from deep inside Triton. These are not just volatile surface ices of water or nitrogen spewing out and onto the surface these are minerals from deep deep down inside. This shows that tidal flex heat energy has forced Triton's core rocky material to heat enough to eject up through the crustal ices spilling onto the surface.
To a lesser degree it also suggests there is no water ocean separating the rocky core from the icy crust.
This paper says
The oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide is shown to be catalyzed at 850 K or above over almost all lattice oxygen atoms.
This suggests Triton has been heated much more than Pluto allowing for the bonding of oxygen (O) to CO producing CO2 which also shows up as black soot streaks.
Wiki quote
Triton is one of the few moons in the Solar System known to be geologically active (the others being Jupiter's Io and Saturn's Enceladus). As a consequence, its surface is relatively young with sparse impact craters, and a complex geological history revealed in intricate cryovolcanic and tectonic terrains. Part of its surface has geysers erupting sublimated nitrogen gas.
If Triton was merely erupting nitrogen gas (as Wiki suggests) it wouldn't leave black streaks.
If the eruptions weren't from deep down there wouldn't be black streaks.
When heavy minerals are driven to the surface they leave black streaks.
With high tidal flex energies and subsequently temperatures, the ice crust is thin, carbon dioxide soot is produced and cryovolcanism takes on a more mineral looking aspect.
Triton shows evidence of rocky core volcanic activity carried to the surface by gasses.
We can see black streaks running across Triton's surface where black material spewed out.
The fact that these streaks are dark is SIGNIFICANT. It means minerals came up from deep inside Triton. These are not just volatile surface ices of water or nitrogen spewing out and onto the surface these are minerals from deep deep down inside. This shows that tidal flex heat energy has forced Triton's core rocky material to heat enough to eject up through the crustal ices spilling onto the surface.
To a lesser degree it also suggests there is no water ocean separating the rocky core from the icy crust.
Triton is in a retrograde rotation, is considered to have been captured by Neptune and is offset from Neptune's equator by a 57 degree range and Triton has black sooty streaks on its thin icy surface. All these factors indicate Triton experienced significant tidal flexing during its capture and still is experiencing strong tidal flex energy.
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Some surface features on Triton look like impact sites.
It appears as though something hit Triton in these locations and simply got swallowed. The warmer subsurface ices then flowed into the hole back filling and smoothing the surface around the impact site. These images demonstrate how thin the ice crust must be or stated another way, these images show how hot the interior is to sustain such a thin crust under such extremely cold external conditions. 
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This is an artists rendition of what these eruptions might look like on Triton.
Since Triton is composed mostly of the same stuff as Pluto one would expect to see red tholin on the surface of Triton as depicted in this image but there isn't any. This suggests tholin is heavier than the surface volatiles and it sunk inward during the Triton capture event. The surface is mostly crater free. Triton's surface temperature is 38K and yet internal tidal flex energy from its mantle has erased almost all evidence of impacts. Nearly all of Triton's surface has been recently resurfaced and yet it has black soot streaks from eruptions on the surface making this a very active energetic moon. Triton is currently active, billowing out dark dust from deep inside displaying signs of strong tidal flex energy. |
When there is dark soot on icy surfaces tidal flex energy is higher.
These mineral deposits and surface color variations become indicators of tidal flex energy levels.
On Page 71 I showed how Pluto's Elliot and Bread Slice craters are active cryovolcanoes as are a string of 5 vertical volcanoes along the eastern edge of Viking Terra. The nitrogen (N2) ices spewing out of the mouth of these erupting volcanoes indicate it is the same material found primarily covering all of Sputnik Planitia.
The central mounds of some of these volcanoes is 1.25 miles high. This means they must be constructed of rock hard water ice even though they are spitting out soft fresh N2.
These mineral deposits and surface color variations become indicators of tidal flex energy levels.
On Page 71 I showed how Pluto's Elliot and Bread Slice craters are active cryovolcanoes as are a string of 5 vertical volcanoes along the eastern edge of Viking Terra. The nitrogen (N2) ices spewing out of the mouth of these erupting volcanoes indicate it is the same material found primarily covering all of Sputnik Planitia.
The central mounds of some of these volcanoes is 1.25 miles high. This means they must be constructed of rock hard water ice even though they are spitting out soft fresh N2.
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All the above cryovolcanoes are consistently constructed of the same lighter colored material not dark mineralized rocky sooty colored stuff from the mantle or core of Pluto. |
These processes show near surface light colored icy gas expulsion not deep surface heavier mineral ejection. The degree of tidal flex energy driving these cryovolcanic actions is weak compared to what we see on Neptune's moon Triton (Pluto's twin). Both are in near perfect circular obits with their companion but Triton experiences much higher energy feedback. On the next page I explain what I think is inducing this energy on both bodies.
On Earth, water ejected through geysers deposit harder minerals at the mouth of the geyser similar to stalactites and stalagmites in caves. These minerals build up creating mounds similar to what we see on Pluto. Pluto's rock hard water ice acts like the minerals on Earth building up into mounds or even mountains as N2 is out gassed from the near subsurface pressure creating processes. On Pluto N2 is out gassed carrying with it some bits of water ice which build mounds and mountains aka cryovolcanoes.
On Earth, water ejected through geysers deposit harder minerals at the mouth of the geyser similar to stalactites and stalagmites in caves. These minerals build up creating mounds similar to what we see on Pluto. Pluto's rock hard water ice acts like the minerals on Earth building up into mounds or even mountains as N2 is out gassed from the near subsurface pressure creating processes. On Pluto N2 is out gassed carrying with it some bits of water ice which build mounds and mountains aka cryovolcanoes.
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Toward the lower 30 degree south latitude portion of Pluto a different story has developed.
The material oozing onto the surface is a darker gray color suggesting there may be some rocky material not too far below the surface at this location or there is a larger degree of tidal flex energy focused in this area creating more heat energy but since SP is like one giant caldera or open wound it seems to me SP is likely the hottest area on Pluto.
Another possibility is that this gray material develops as the result of atmospherically condensed and deposited gasses along with their interactions with the Sun since all the white methane snow faces north and all the gray fluids face south. Another possibility is that the methane snow capped peaks of these mountains mingle with the tholin and flow at lower elevations to create gray runoff.
There may simply be a large accumulation of rocky material below this area's surface mingling with the nitrogen as it oozes out. However, if you look at the whole scene from SP down into this southern area it appears as though the nitrogen gradually changes from a yellowish to a pinkish to a grayish color suggesting latitude plays a role in the development of this gray material.
I'm assuming the material in this scene is erupting from below. It's possible but less likely this is methane snow runoff.
Eruptions ejecting two different colored materials on Pluto do infer two different types of material below the surface and may suggest different tidal flex energy is focused in those areas. To me it looks more like there is rocky material just below the surface around the 30° S Lat.
The color of the debris expelled by eruptions present some clues to the depth from which the material originated also suggesting a relative degree of energy released by the process. On Earth compression forces drive material up from below but on Pluto the compression force is much weaker. Since nitrogen can flow with much less energy input, the compression force doesn't need to be that powerful on Pluto to make nitrogen flow like lava.
Eruptions ejecting two different colored materials on Pluto do infer two different types of material below the surface and may suggest different tidal flex energy is focused in those areas. To me it looks more like there is rocky material just below the surface around the 30° S Lat.
The color of the debris expelled by eruptions present some clues to the depth from which the material originated also suggesting a relative degree of energy released by the process. On Earth compression forces drive material up from below but on Pluto the compression force is much weaker. Since nitrogen can flow with much less energy input, the compression force doesn't need to be that powerful on Pluto to make nitrogen flow like lava.
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Sputnik Planitia shows a clear boundary line color change along its eastern edge where runoff fluid from the highlands flows onto and then mingles with the pinkish colored fluid in the SP basin.
The flowing gray material to the east is almost certainly created by adiabatic condensation of Pluto's fog. As the fog rises in elevation it is cooled and condensed coating the surface with wet nitrogen forming lakes scattered throughout this area. The runoff is gray suggesting this is the color you get from this surface mixing process. |
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The below image does a fairly good job showing the variation in color between the main pinkish SP zone compared to the grayish eastern highlands (Tombaugh Regio) and the southern Tenzing Montes.
Official names of features on Pluto
With Sputnik Planitia being a caldera about a tenth the size of the entire planet, one would expect there to be some mingled gravel or rock from the core or mantle churning up and outward onto the surface if the heat source was from a solid differentiated radioactive rock ball 40% the volume of Pluto's interior creating SP. If there is a solid differentiated core generating enough heat energy to create a caldera the size of SP wouldn't some of that rocky material (even in mineral form) also get pushed up onto the surface (even a little tiny bit)? Wouldn't the active cryovolcanoes have some signs of dark minerals?
Instead it seems the fluid at SP is a phenomenon taking place nearer to the surface. At SP, the color of the N2 is light similar to surface ices or volatile gasses transitioning through their triple point temperatures and pressures.
Instead it seems the fluid at SP is a phenomenon taking place nearer to the surface. At SP, the color of the N2 is light similar to surface ices or volatile gasses transitioning through their triple point temperatures and pressures.
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The twisting torque felt on both Pluto and Charon with their axis wobble of 24 degrees every 2.8 million years would likely be sufficient to cause this effect.
If this twisting torque caused the interior and exterior spheres to slip over each becoming mechanically decoupled additional energy would be imparted. This decoupling causes a phenomenon called true polar wonder. 
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On Enceladus it is believed true polar wonder has occurred because of the changing alignment of its long cracks. Over time Enceladus' cracks have reoriented themselves relative to Jupiter indicating skin slip or true polar wander. Pluto has banding striations suggesting its crust is slipping over subsurface ices. The nitrogen under compression is heated to a fluid state seeping to the surface through fractures. The light color (lack of minerals) suggests the two decoupled spheres are ices which are lubricated by fluid nitrogen.
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This Pluto skin slip is similar to how the Hawaiian Islands are riding on a tectonic plate slipping over a hot spot in the Pacific ocean.
Pluto's hot spot at SP is obviously stabilized by Charon's gravitational focus at this location. Imagine the bulging swelling ocean tides our moon creates on Earth. This is what Charon does at this location of SP then imagine both planets wobbling 24 degrees back and forth gravitationally twisting and torquing on each other. The tidal bulge is oscillated back and forth at SP warming the nitrogen creating this hot spot. |
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We see darker material seeping onto land toward the south, if the interior is partially differentiated, there could be localized clumps of less dense dusty gray gravel particles clustered below the surface mingling with the N2 as it is heated under subsurface pressures conditions carrying a slurry of gray fluid to the surface. Its also possible but less likely this gray fluid is created by atmospheric conditions similar to what occurs at the highlands of Tombaugh Regio.
The color of the material ejected at eruption sites indicate (to some degree) what energy levels were required to place that material on the surface.
To summarize
The color of the material ejected at eruption sites indicate (to some degree) what energy levels were required to place that material on the surface.
To summarize
- Io has dark material on the surface ejected up from deep below indicting high energy from tidal flex.
- Europa has a thin smooth ice crust with dark mineral deposits on the surface indicting medium tidal flex energy.
- Enceladus has a thick ice crust with no mineral deposits on the surface indicating low tidal flex energy.
- Triton (Pluto's twin) has dark spots on a thin young ice surface indicating medium tidal flex energy.
- Pluto has a mix of colored deposits and crustal thickness but no black dark mineral blotches from eruptions.
- Pluto has a thick old tholin covered cratered ice crust with an active cryovolcano (Elliot) spewing out light material.
- The proportionally huge Sputnik Planitia is whitish material suggesting low tidal flex energy.
- At 30 degrees south latitude, Pluto has gray fluid material suggesting to me near surface dusty gravel minerals are mixed with near surface nitrogen fluids both indicating low tidal flex energy.
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Educated men will look at the work I do and and say that it is useless work, but the words they breath from their mouths are as wise as the wind they fart from their ass.
Fools! Knowledge begins with sensation, with experience, it does not begin with the study of Latin, I will have none of that. I say that knowledge begins with love. Nature must be our guide, if you look anywhere but nature you're wasting your time. Nature begins with a cause and ends with an experience. So begin with the experience and investigate the cause. Leonardo da Vinci |
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Apparently Leonardo da Vinci was not a big fan of formally educated men.
I think I agree with him that knowledge begins with love.
I know NASA scientists like Alan Stern and his team love what they are doing else I wouldn't have found my own true love.
Pluto!
I didn't care one bit about Pluto until Alan and team got us there.
Thank you Alan for your passion and love of Pluto which has given rise to mine.
I think I agree with him that knowledge begins with love.
I know NASA scientists like Alan Stern and his team love what they are doing else I wouldn't have found my own true love.
Pluto!
I didn't care one bit about Pluto until Alan and team got us there.
Thank you Alan for your passion and love of Pluto which has given rise to mine.
