Pluto .... Pandemonium ....
That's one hell of a coincidence.
Ice volcanoes just part of Plutonic pandemonium
Pluto just keeps getting stranger: the latest speculation to arise from analysis of data gathered by New Horizons is that it might have ice volcanoes. That's one possible explanation for put forward, in a press briefing at NASA's Ames Research Center in California, for the icy peaks that stunned the mission team back in July …
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Tuesday 10th November 2015 10:37 GMT Crisp
Re: hummocky
I had to look up that word too :
"Hummocky cross-stratification is a type of sedimentary structure found in sandstones. It is a form of cross-bedding usually formed by the action of large storms, such as hurricanes. It takes the form of a series of "smile"-like shapes, crosscutting each other."
I learnt something new!
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Tuesday 10th November 2015 20:32 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Escaped Moon of Neptune?
It would, but current theory suggests it was never a Neptunian moon. Pluto does cross Neptune's orbit slightly, but it's also in a 2/3 resonance with Neptune, like many other TNOs.
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Wednesday 11th November 2015 11:25 GMT Wzrd1
Re: Escaped Moon of Neptune?
True, it could be that various elements that are gaseous at STP and liquid and just barely at equilibrium under the conditions under the surface of Pluto. Anything that would then add energy would turn the liquid to gas and cause other, lower energy state liquids and solids to erupt from gas pressure.
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Tuesday 10th November 2015 15:18 GMT Grikath
Yes, but even at Pluto's closest approach, the temperatures there are such that even the most helllish mixture of water ice and other stuff would remain solid as a rock. Don't forget it's Summer there now, and the "weather" we see is based on nitrogen phase changes..
It's speculation, of course, but my bet would be on the time Pluto captured Charon, and their orbits/spins settled. It would depend a bit on the original velocities and spin, but settling into the tidal locked orbit we see now means both bodies must have shed quite impressive amounts of energy. Possibly enough to make Pluto "hot" enough to alllow for at least slush volcanoes.
Anybody got a big cluster for some simulations?
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Wednesday 11th November 2015 13:43 GMT Anonymous Coward
re: Grikath...
I only have a little cluster for simulations.... its perched on my shoulders. Sorry!
The limited simulation run I was able to complete, without hitting the dreaded BSOD, suggests that amongst the pandemonium it is likely that Pluto gets the odd hit by space debris moving at various speeds, some friable and some rock hard. At least some will hit with lots of energy but be quite small. If the density of Pluto increases with depth not much energy will be dissipated until the object is deeply embedded. Phase changes would then be to more gaseous states the deeper one goes which would push up through the 'entry pipe' the softer stuff created during entry creating a 'volcano' - when the gases collapse deep down the whole pipe collapses again leaving a hollow top mound at the surface. Lateral shock waves generated during entry would fracture the surrounding rock and unevenly soften and gasify it. These would be somewhat characteristic of the bubbly froth created by 'boiling' milk but bubbles at the surface would spontaneously re-freeze, perhaps encasing voids. However, expansion of the surface area of the mound might also happen without splitting it but with surface re-freezing at the same time as the central collapse occurs when the same expanded surfaces now are trying to collapse back down into a smaller, flatter area but are unable to do so completely..... leaving a hummocked surface.
Sub-surface radar and gravimetrics would be very interesting. Perhaps on the next trip?
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
