Pluto Refractory Material

One of Pluto's unexpected discoveries has been the variety of terrains that characterize its surface. This bounty of data has given us the opportunity to investigate the composition of the different regions to compare and contrast the non-icy refractory component(s) of Pluto's surface. The colored materials that are the target of our investigation are thought to originate either from haze deposition, or from ejection from a liquid water sub-crustal reservoir, or from surface irradiation of the hydrocarbon ices. Considering the dynamic nature of Pluto's surface, continually refreshed and/or renewed, the possibility of a primordial component is remote. We compare the refractory material of different regions of Pluto's surface and attempt at identifying their origin.