Instrumentation Development for In Situ 40Ar/39Ar Planetary Geochronology |
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| Authors: | Leah E Morgan Madicken Munk Brett Davidheiser‐Kroll Nicholas H Warner Sanjeev Gupta Rachel Slaybaugh Patrick Harkness Darren F Mark |
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| Affiliation: | 1. U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO, USA;2. Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, East Kilbride, UK;3. Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA;4. Department of Geological Sciences, CU Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA;5. Department of Geological Sciences, SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, USA;6. Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK;7. School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK |
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| 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. |
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| Keywords: | geochronology Ar‐Ar dating mass spectrometry instrumentation neutron source |
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