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An acid‐etch study of the Kapoeta achondrite: Implications for the argon‐36/argon‐38 ratio in the solar wind
Author(s) -
BECKER R. H.,
SCHLUTTER D. J.,
RIDER P. E.,
PEPIN R. O.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
meteoritics and planetary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.09
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 1086-9379
DOI - 10.1111/j.1945-5100.1998.tb01612.x
Subject(s) - achondrite , argon , solar wind , etching (microfabrication) , isotopes of argon , noble gas , meteorite , analytical chemistry (journal) , xenon , geology , chemistry , astrobiology , astrophysics , plasma , chondrite , physics , nuclear physics , environmental chemistry , organic chemistry , layer (electronics)
— Noble gases were measured in the Kapoeta achondrite by means of step‐wise closed‐system acid‐etching with H 2 SO 3 . Isotopic ratios indicate that He, Ne and Ar are primarily solar in origin, although elemental abundance ratios indicate that the He and Ne have been significantly depleted relative to the Ar. Xenon is dominated by a typical trapped meteoritic component, and the same is probably true for Kr. The initial 11% of the Ar released from the sample by acid etching has a cumulative 36 Ar/ 38 Ar ratio of 5.58 ± 0.03, which indicates that the solar wind at some time in the past had a 36 Ar/ 38 Ar ratio significantly above previous values suggested for this ratio.