P11B-2084
Instrumentation development for planetary in situ 40Ar/39Ar geochronology
Monday, 14 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Brett Davidheiser-Kroll1, Leah E Morgan2, Madicken Munk3, Nicholas H Warner4, Sanjeev Gupta5, Rachel Slaybaugh3, Patrick Harkness2 and Darren F Mark6, (1)University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12, United Kingdom, (2)University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom, (3)University of California at Berkeley, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Berkeley, CA, United States, (4)SUNY at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, United States, (5)Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, (6)Scottish Universities Environmental Research Center at the University of Glasgow, East Kilbride, United Kingdom
Abstract:
The chronology of the Solar System, particularly the timing of formation of extraterrestrial bodies and their features, is a major 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, Farley et al., 2014), the reliability, accuracy, and applicability of the 40Ar/39Ar method makes it by far the most desirable chronometer for dating extraterrestrial bodies. The method however relies on the neutron irradiation of samples, and thus a neutron source. We will 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 analyzing samples are discussed, along with an exploration of limitations such as mass, power, and cost. Two potential solutions for the in situ extraterrestrial deployment of the 40Ar/39Ar method will be 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.
