Instrumentation Development for In Situ 40Ar/39Ar Planetary Geochronology
File(s)
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The chronology of the Solar System, particularly the timing of formation of extra-terrestrial bodies and their features, is an outstanding problem in planetary science. Although various chronological methods for in situ geochronology have been proposed (e.g., Rb-Sr, K-Ar), and even applied (K-Ar), the reliability, accuracy, and applicability of the 40Ar/39Ar method makes it by far the most desirable chronometer for dating extra-terrestrial bodies. The method however relies on the neutron irradiation of samples, and thus a neutron source. Herein, we discuss the challenges and feasibility of deploying a passive neutron source to planetary surfaces for the in situ application of the 40Ar/39Ar chronometer. Requirements in generating and shielding neutrons, as well as analysing samples are described, along with an exploration of limitations such as mass, power and cost. Two potential solutions for the in situ extra-terrestrial deployment of the 40Ar/39Ar method are presented. Although this represents a challenging task, developing the technology to apply the 40Ar/39Ar method on planetary surfaces would represent a major advance towards constraining the timescale of solar system formation and evolution.
Date Issued
2017-04-30
Date Acceptance
2017-03-15
Citation
Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 2017, 41 (3), pp.381-396
ISSN
1639-4488
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
381
End Page
396
Journal / Book Title
Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research
Volume
41
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The Authors. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Association of Geoanalysts.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Geochemistry & Geophysics
geochronology
Ar-Ar dating
mass spectrometry
instrumentation
neutron source
NEUTRONS DAN EXPERIMENT
MASS-SPECTROMETRY
DYNAMIC ALBEDO
MARS
ARGON
IRRADIATION
MISSION
AR-39
0402 Geochemistry
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2017-04-30