Abstract
Frank et al. [1986a,b] proposed the possibility of large numbers of small comets impacting the Earth. Using the parameters for the small cornets suggested by Frank and Sigwarth [1993], we find that, over the lifetime of the solar system, such small comets would deliver far more Ar, Kr, and Xe to the atmospheres of Earth and Mars than those atmospheres presently contain if, as Frank and Sigwarth [1993] assumed, the small comets formed in very cold regions far from the Sun. Comets can be greatly depleted in noble gases if they form relatively close to the Sun (for example, near Jupiter), but this source region is inconsistent with other features of the proposed model. Alternatively, if the comets did form in very cold regions far from the Sun, the current flux would have to be at least a factor of 30,000 higher than the long-term average.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 97GL03216 |
| Pages (from-to) | 3113-3116 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 24 |
| State | Published - 1997 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
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Implications of small comets for the noble gas inventories of Earth and Mars. / Swindle, Timothy; Kring, David A.
In: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 24, No. 24, 97GL03216, 1997, p. 3113-3116.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Implications of small comets for the noble gas inventories of Earth and Mars
AU - Swindle, Timothy
AU - Kring, David A.
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - Frank et al. [1986a,b] proposed the possibility of large numbers of small comets impacting the Earth. Using the parameters for the small cornets suggested by Frank and Sigwarth [1993], we find that, over the lifetime of the solar system, such small comets would deliver far more Ar, Kr, and Xe to the atmospheres of Earth and Mars than those atmospheres presently contain if, as Frank and Sigwarth [1993] assumed, the small comets formed in very cold regions far from the Sun. Comets can be greatly depleted in noble gases if they form relatively close to the Sun (for example, near Jupiter), but this source region is inconsistent with other features of the proposed model. Alternatively, if the comets did form in very cold regions far from the Sun, the current flux would have to be at least a factor of 30,000 higher than the long-term average.
AB - Frank et al. [1986a,b] proposed the possibility of large numbers of small comets impacting the Earth. Using the parameters for the small cornets suggested by Frank and Sigwarth [1993], we find that, over the lifetime of the solar system, such small comets would deliver far more Ar, Kr, and Xe to the atmospheres of Earth and Mars than those atmospheres presently contain if, as Frank and Sigwarth [1993] assumed, the small comets formed in very cold regions far from the Sun. Comets can be greatly depleted in noble gases if they form relatively close to the Sun (for example, near Jupiter), but this source region is inconsistent with other features of the proposed model. Alternatively, if the comets did form in very cold regions far from the Sun, the current flux would have to be at least a factor of 30,000 higher than the long-term average.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0031390930&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0031390930
VL - 24
SP - 3113
EP - 3116
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
SN - 0094-8276
IS - 24
M1 - 97GL03216
ER -