Scientists are counting atoms to figure out when Mars last had volcanoes Astroboffins have figured out a new way of dating planets and meteorites by counting individual atoms in rock samples snatched from the depths of space. The atomic-scale imaging technique developed by University of Portsmouth scientists involves locating and counting individual atoms in planetary materials. "Directly linking …
There are flows in Tharsis where crater-counting and the apparent lack of erosion suggest eruptions within the last few million years. If this is the case, Mars is warmer inside than we think and that means there's a greater chance of hydrothermal fluids bringing the goodies needed for life to the surface.
E. Hauber, P. Brož, F. Jagert, P. Jodłowski and T. Platz (17 May 2011). "Very recent and wide-spread basaltic volcanism on Mars". Geophysical Research Letters. 38 (10). Bibcode:2011GeoRL..3810201H. doi:10.1029/2011GL047310.
(It's a page turner and I won't spoil the ending)
Scientific papers automatically come with spoilers, they are called abstracts. Some of them even have an even shorter spoiler before the abstract called a summary. This is because scientists are all huge geeks who actually secretly read spoilers on everything and then run around going "no spoilers! don't ruin it for me!"
Well "technically" it's:
Uranium 238 to Thorium 234 to Protactinium 234 to Uranium 234 to Thorium 230 to Radium 226 to Radon 222 to Polonium 218 to Lead 214.
not finished, Lead 214 is radioactive.
Then to Bismuth 214 to Polonium 214 to Lead 210 to Bismuth 210 to Polonium 210 and finally to the stable Lead 206.
There are different chains if you start with Uranium 233 or 235
leaving aside the obvious detail, that Mars, in Olympus Mons, still has an active volcano, I don't see how this can produce a significant sample. Statistics, in dating rely on the enormous sample size to eliminate errors, and a significant loss of one or more of the decay series to indicate a start date. Counting atoms one by one does not seem to me to be a viable route to a large sample size
Mars, in Olympus Mons, still has an active volcano
Please cite references, I always understood OM was either dormant or dead with no eruptions for several million years (evidence from impact craters on the slopes).
Mars has no plate tectonics and a relatively cool core so significant seismic activity is considered very improbable.
When they count atoms the numbers are quite huge, for example 1 nanogram of Uranium has 2.5 x10^12 atoms so I wouldn't worry too much about small samples.
It just has to be below the melting point of iron/nickel (with a pinch of sulfur to taste) under god-almighty pressure to kill the magnetic field. That could mean there is enough heat coming up through the Mantle to allow partial melting and volcanism. But without knowing how much heat is radiating out and how much water is slopping round in the Mantle, its very hard to work out just how much melting could take place.
NASA's next lander, InSight which will fly in 2018 is equipped with a drill and heat flow probe which will give us some idea of the former. It'll also have a seismometer which might mean we can get a glimpse of the planet's interior structure and its state - provided we are lucky enough to either experience a big 'quake or something from the asteroid belt the size of a large house decides to become friends with the Martian surface.
Dr Eccles Four million three hundred thousand and five, Four million three hundred thousand and six,
Lab Technician Bluebottle Eccles, would you like a cup of tea?
Dr Eccles Oh yeah! Nuthin' like a good cup of tea.
Lab Technician Bluebottle No, nothing like a good cup of tea.
Dr Eccles Slurrp! Nuthin' like a good cup of tea.
Lab Technician Bluebottle No, nothing like a good cup of tea.
Dr Eccles Nuthin' like a good cup of tea. Four million three hundred thousand and ... ooh!
One, two, three, ...
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