PLUTO RULES
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    • Page 61 Ammonia
    • Page 62 Their Story
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    • Page 65 Five Flaws >
      • Cold Core
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      • NH3+H2O=
      • Mordor's Crater
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Pluto Page 94
Solar Hood

Picture
Hogenboom
Other previous data which bear on the existence of high-pressure polymorphs of ammonia hydrates include the X-ray diffraction studies of Durham et al. (1993). In a study devoted primarily to ammonia–water ice rheology, those researchers discerned the existence of the familiar low-pressure polymorphs of ammonia mono- and dihydrate at pressures from 50 to 100 MPa, i.e., well below the subsolidus transition pressures we have found.
(Polymorph A mineral that has several crystal forms; i.e. graphite is the amorphous form, while diamond is the crystal form, both being polymorphs of carbon.).

Our data confirm the result of Croft et al. (1988) that the NH3–H2O peritectic liquid has a density at low pressures (p0.946 g/cm3 at 0.1 MPa) that is less than the density of solid ammonia dihydrate I (p0.965 g/cm3) but greater than that of water ice I (0.917 g/cm3). Hence, NH3–H2O liquid can be extruded from a rock-rich icy mantle and through a thick ammonia hydrate crust, but it cannot be extruded readily through a thick mantle or crust of water ice I. Not only is the presence of rock needed in the ice for ammonia to get extruded from the ice but the ammonia hydrate is more dense than water and sinks accumulating at the next base of hard ice/rock or rock layer.

These density relations extend to 160 MPa, above which the liquid is denser than ammonia dihydrate I up to p300 MPa, where a transition to ammonia dihydrate II occurs. A eutectic ammonia–water ocean is possible on icy satellites at pressures between 160 and 300 MPa.


A eutectic is completely converted into a solution or melt upon an increase in temperature. Peritectic is the point of intersection between the temperature lines on a phase diagram at the onset of crystallization (solid). Eutectic is the point on a phase diagram where temperature converts the chemical to a liquid. peritectic vs eutectic is the temperature intersection between solid and liquid (crystalline and amorphous).

Water at 0° C can be both solid and liquid, both crystalline and amorphous, both peritectic and eutectic, at -1° C water is a solid, crystallized, peritectic, at +1° C water is a liquid, amorphous, eutectic, loosely speaking.

Among the most important unresolved problems in the geology of the icy moons is the origin of global extensional features on some but not all of these moons; these fractures indicate a net increase of surface area of several percent. We can now completely rule out earlier speculation solmagno 1985) that these extensional features could be caused by the melting and refreezing of NH3-rich liquids; it is now clear that the volume change is too small to account for the inferred expansion. Phase changes of H2O remain as expansion candidates but they raise other problems (Consolmagno 1985, Squyres and Croft 1986). Thus, this question remains unresolved. Another possible cause of global volume changes and tectonic stress raised by the new data is that of subsolidus phase transitions of ammonia hydrates.
 
The disappearance of the peritectic at 20 MPa is at a pressure reached inside all the principal icy satellites except Mimas, Enceladus, and Miranda (Kargel 1990); however, the high-pressure phases of the ammonia hydrates occur only above 300 MPa, i.e., pressures attained in the deep interiors of Ganymede, Callisto, Titan, Triton, and Pluto, but not in other icy moons (Kargel 1990). If Triton and Pluto have a dense rock/iron core, the icy mantle above morphs. It is likely that high-pressure ammonia hydrates served important roles in the evolution of Titan’s interior and atmosphere and possibly in the evolution of Ganymede and Callisto if they are ammonia-rich. Possible gravitational layering in both high-pressure water ice and ammonia hydrate phases should be considered in models of the geological evolution of large icy moons and in drawing structural interpretations from spacecraft-tracking gravity data (Schubert et al. 1994).

SP is 3 km (1.86 miles) below surrounding terrain
1,300 x 900 km (808 x 560 miles) ellipse

See a clear rim
Do not see clear secondaries (perhaps erased by glaciers)

No clear rings, but the mountains sort of line up where you expect rings

Lack of rings/secondaries is reminiscent of Hellas, Mars

There is a 1 km (0.6 miles) thick ejecta "collar" around SP!

Picture
James Keane notes from Bill McKinnon lecture at Geological Society of America Sept 25th 2016
This paper called "The Small Satellites of Pluto as Observed by New Horizons" explains how the poles of the small satellites are all nearly orthogonal (perpendicular) to the direction of Pluto and Charon's common rotational poles. In other words the small moons rotational axis are all nearly perpendicular to Pluto's axis. They roll around Pluto/Charon on their sides like Uranus does around the Sun.
the_small_satellites_of_pluto_as_observed_by_new_horizons1604.05366.pdf
File Size: 4553 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra (SNKH) are mostly orbiting on their side. Their pole alignments are 91°, 123°, 96° and 110° respectively. That means all of the small satellites are rotating backwards compared to Pluto and Charon which themselves are rotating backwards compared to the Sun. So the small satellites are rotating in a retrograde spin compared to Pluto/Charon but a prograde spin relative to the Sun.

There are several papers that suggest the small satellites are 4 billion years old and conclude they were formed in-situ (in their current orbital place) by accretion. These small moons supposedly accreted from the debris left over from the collision between Charon and Pluto.

If that were true why would all of them rotate the wrong direction?
Why would they be so bright?
Why would their spins be so erratic?

Ammonia hydrates were likely placed on the small satellites by Pluto 0.8 myr when conditions allowed the nitrogen at Sputnik Planitia to reach explosive triple point conditions. Sublimation pits on the surface of Sputnik Planitia are probably the nitrogen explosive bubble remnants and not sublimation pits at all. After all, why would nitrogen sublimate (evaporate) into the shape of cups. There is significant evidence that much of what has been called sublimation pits are actually sastrugi (wind blown snow) waves or ripple patterns.
Picture
Ammonia hydrates and crystalline ice were two items I thought I could use to potentially narrow down or identify the age of the event that created Charon's smooth southern hemisphere. Turns out neither is a reasonable age dating method for this event. Crystalline ice is found on other Kuiper Belts Objects (KBO) of similar size to Charon and the ammonia hydrates are spread across Charon's northern and southern surfaces but not around its trailing hemisphere. If the ammonia was predominately on the southern hemisphere it would suggest the event created the ammonia hydrates. If crystalline water ice were only on Charon it might also point to the event as a cause but neither is correct. Instead the leading hemisphere displaying ammonia indicates Charon's rotational orbit around Pluto is the key factor in the placement of the ammonia.
Zones - Rocky Planets, Main Asteroid Belt, Giant planets, Kuiper Belt Objects, Transneptunian Objects
Rocky Planets - temperature from Sun evaporates away volatiles
Main Belt - Frost line, Albedo shift
Giant planets - Centaurs, Trojans
Kuiper Belt - Cold Classical Red KBO, Neptune Perturbed (resonant) Multicolored Scattered Disk Objects, Plutinos
Transneptunian Objects,
Picture
Picture
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/astro/astalbedo.html
Picture
NASA's NeoWISE spacecraft has identified 29,375 solar system objects, including 788 near-Earth comets and asteroids. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2018-078
Picture
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/multimedia/neowise20130725i.html
  • Home
    • Page 2 Icebergs
    • Page 3 Tsunami
    • Page 4 Icy Depths
    • Page 5 Western Basin
    • Page 6 Cracks
    • Page 7 Bodies
    • Page 8 Laid Out
    • Page 9 Elephant
    • Page 10 One Theory
    • Page 11 Volcanoes
    • Page 12 Pits
    • Page 13 Shock Waves
    • Page 14 Billiards
    • Page 15 Ridge Line
    • Page 16 Icy Core Model
    • Page 17 Weird Science
    • Page 18 Conjoined
    • Page 19 Models
    • Page 20 Impressions
    • Page 21 My Discovery
    • Page 22 Pluto's a Joke
    • Page 23 Bullets
    • Page 24 The Paper is Dune
    • Page 25 Red Stuff
    • Page 26 Split Personality
    • Page 27 vents
    • Page 28 Right Mons
    • Page 29 Tectonics
    • Page 30 Respect
    • Page 31 Nuts
    • Page 32 The North
    • Page 33 KBO
    • Page 34 Radiation?
    • Page 35 SP Impact?
    • Page 36 Erosion
    • Page 37 Oxygen
    • Page 38 Quarter Moon
    • Page 39 I Think
    • Page 40 Sol
    • Page 41 Tilt
    • Page 42 Pororoca
    • Page 43 Summary
    • Page 44 Speculation
    • Page 45 Eyes To See
    • Page 46 Content
    • Page 47 Negative Nancy
    • Page 48 Last Nail
    • Page 49 Callisto
    • Page 50 All Aboard
    • Page 51 Chicken or Egg
    • Page 52 Boo-Boos
    • Page 53 Conflicted
    • Page 54 Good as Gold
    • Page 55 Concept Collision
    • Page 56 Foundations
    • Page 57 Slight of Hand
    • Page 58 Floaters
    • Page 59 What Zit
    • Page 60 Elevation
    • Page 61 Ammonia
    • Page 62 Their Story
    • Page 63 Flow
    • Page 64 Patterns
    • Page 65 Five Flaws >
      • Cold Core
      • Wrong Mons
      • No Ejecta
      • NH3+H2O=
      • Mordor's Crater
    • Page 66 Triton
    • Page 67 Far From Objective
    • Page 68 Triple Point
    • Page 69 Splatter Painting
    • Page 70 Basins
    • Page 71 Nitrogen
    • Page 72 Positive Gravity
    • Page 73 Core Concepts
    • Page 74 En Route
    • Page 75 Oceans
    • Page 76 Heavy Metal
    • Page 77 Eruptions
    • Page 78 Wobble
    • Page 79 Fictional Facts
    • Page 80 Flopper
    • Page 81 Slip
    • Page 82 DPS17
    • Page 83 Pahoehoe
    • Page 84 WTF
    • Page 85 Sunlight
    • Page 86 Big Bro
    • Page 87 Sastrugi
    • Page 88 Wow
    • Page 89 Stirred Not Shaken
    • Page 90 Miss Info
    • Page 91 Where Am I
    • Page 92 Rockin Ice Cubed
    • Page 93 Crystal Balls
    • Page 94 Fields
    • Page 95 Weighed and Measured
    • Page 96 How Low
    • Page 97 I Believe
    • Page 98 Signatures
    • Page 99 V
    • Page 100 Ethane
    • Page 101 Boom
    • Page 102 Pit Chains
    • Page 103 Wasted Mass Holes
    • Page 104 Dating
    • Page 105 Anaglyph
    • Page 106 Weebles
    • Page 107 Kaboom
    • Page 108 Dark Vacuum
    • Page 109 Kilauea
    • Page 110 Dark Side
    • Page 111 Space Rocks
    • Page 112 Tau
    • Page 113 Radio Ga Ga
    • Page 114 Showers
    • Page 115 Ultima Thule
    • Page 116 Extinct
    • Page 117 Roche A-Tack
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