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In Situ Radiometric and Exposure Age Dating of the Martian SurfaceWe determined radiogenic and cosmogenic noble gases in a mudstone on the floor of Gale Crater. A K-Ar age of 4.21 +/- 0.35 billion years represents a mixture of detrital and authigenic components and confirms the expected antiquity of rocks comprising the crater rim. Cosmic-ray-produced 3He, 21Ne, and 36Ar yield concordant surface exposure ages of 78 T 30 million years. Surface exposure occurred mainly in the present geomorphic setting rather than during primary erosion and transport. Our observations are consistent with mudstone deposition shortly after the Gale impact or possibly in a later event of rapid erosion and deposition. The mudstone remained buried until recent exposure by wind-driven scarp retreat. Sedimentary rocks exposed by this mechanism may thus offer the best potential for organic biomarker preservation against destruction by cosmic radiation.
Document ID
20160005733
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Farley, K. A.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Malespin, C.
(Universities Space Research Association Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Mahaffy, P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Grotzinger, J. P.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Vasconcelos, P. M.
(Queensland Univ. Brisbane, Australia)
Milliken, R. E.
(Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Malin, M.
(Malin Space Science Systems San Diego, CA, United States)
Edgett, K. S.
(Malin Space Science Systems San Diego, CA, United States)
Pavlov, A. A.
(Universities Space Research Association Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Hurowitz, J. A.
(State Univ. of New York Stony Brook, NY, United States)
Grant, J. A.
(Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC, United States)
Miller, H. B.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Arvidson, R.
(Washington Univ. Saint Louis, MO, United States)
Beegle, L.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Calef, F.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Conrad, P. G.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Dietrich, W. E.
(California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Eigenbrode, J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Gellert, R.
(Guelph Univ. Ontario, Canada)
Gupta, S.
(Imperial Coll. of London London, United Kingdom)
Hamilton, V.
(Southwest Research Inst. Boulder, CO, United States)
Hassler, D. M.
(Southwest Research Inst. Boulder, CO, United States)
Lewis, K. W.
(Princeton Univ. Princeton, NJ, United States)
McLennan, S. M.
(Stony Brook Univ. Stony Brook, NY, United States)
Ming, D. M.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Navarro-Gonzalez, R.
(Ciudad Univ. Mexico City, Mexico)
Schwenzer, S. P.
(Open Univ. Milton Keynes, United Kingdom)
Steele, A.
(Carnegie Institution of Washington Washington, DC, United States)
Stolper, E. M.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Sumner, D. Y.
(California Univ. Davis, CA, United States)
Vaniman, D.
(Planetary Science Inst. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Vasavada, A.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Williford, K.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.
(Kiel Univ. Germany)
Date Acquired
May 3, 2016
Publication Date
January 24, 2014
Publication Information
Publication: Science
Publisher: AAAS
Volume: 343
Issue: 6169
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Geosciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN21533
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG11HP16A
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
age dating
Mars
radiometric and exposure age dating

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