Re: [meteorite-list] F.A. Paneth - Radioactive Decay Processes and theAge of Meteorites
Guys, Paneth is writing this in 1928 because that is when George Gamov worked out the quantum mechanics of radioactive decay, particularly of the uranium and thorium series. Paneth is merely appreciating the possibilitie. There are dating possibilities because, while all the radioactive decay serieses end in good old long-lived lead, lead has several isotopes (same atomic number; different atomic weights caused by hitch-hiking neutrons). This is called lead-lead dating. However, measuring the exact abundances of lead atoms by isotope is tricky. You need to measure very long-lived elements if you're going date something as old as the Earth, but the longer the half-life of an element is, the more difficult it is to measure! This was first done by geochemist C. C. Patterson (and George Tilton). Cleverly, he measured the lead- lead ratios in meteorites AND in ocean bottom sediment (which would contain a samples of lead eroded out of all the Earth's surface for hundreds of millions of years. Bingo! Both extraterrestrial lead ages and terrestrial lead ages were essentially the same for the formation date of the solar system and the Earth: 4.55 +/- 0.070 10^9 years. Here's his 1956 paper: http://www.colorado.edu/geolsci/courses/GEOL5700-9/pdf/Fall07/Patterson.pdf Measuring both values answered Paneth's question: In our present state of ignorance of how they were formed, we must admit the possibility that there may be meteorites substantially older than the oldest strata on Earth... Jumping all the way back to George Gamov... He was not only a great physicist, but a very good popular science writer. A Russian, he managed to wiggle out of the Soviet Union and come to the U.S. only a little behind Einstein wiggling out of Germany (both in 1933). In the 1930's, Gamov worked out the basics of neucleosynthesis in stars. In 1940, he wrote a book, The Birth and Death of the Sun on the process of element creation in an early hot universe and the evolution of stars. Today, this is called The Big Bang Theory, although he never called it that. But he's it's Father of the Big Bang.. In 1952, Gamov was re-printed as a early news-stand paperback book (paperback books were a brand-new thing then), and I still have my 63-year-old copy bought with my school lunch money. I'd buy two milks and save the rest of the lunch money for books, the same way I bought Arthur C. Clarke's first book Interplanetary Flight that same year. It was much more slimming, as it was a hard-bound book and had to be paid for in advance because it would have to be imported by boat from far-away England. (This is how to be a complete geek yet not get fat.) In Gamov, writing in 1940, I learned (because measuring the half-life of lead isotopes was so hard, hence imprecise) that the crust of the Earth was 1.6 billion years old and that the planet and the solar system could not be much more than 2 billion years old. By 1955, when Life magazine published their famous The World We Live In book (still worth looking over, BTW), they described the dating of the age of the Earth and Sun as never less than 2 billion and never more than four or five billion years. I guess the long half-lives of the lead isotopes was in the wind or they'd heard about C. C. Patterson's as-yet unpublished work. He published the next year, and in the 60 years since, there has been no contradictory evidence found for that dating. Geochemists can get a good fight going by suggesting shifting the date by 10 or 20 million years. Evidence converges on Patterson date: the Earth's oldest rock, the tiny Jack Hills zircon is 4.404 +/- 0.008 x 10^9 years old. And the lunar sample, the Genesis Rock, dates to 4.460 x 10^9 years. http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/April04/lunarAnorthosites.html Evidence from two worlds... Sterling Webb --- -Original Message- From: Meteorite-list [mailto:meteorite-list-boun...@meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Galactic Stone Ironworks via Meteorite-list Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2015 9:14 PM To: rickm...@earthlink.net Cc: Meteorite List Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] F.A. Paneth - Radioactive Decay Processes and theAge of Meteorites Hi Rick and List, Our knowledge of meteorites has changed a great deal since 1928. :) Best regards, MikeG -- - Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone - On 3/21/15, rickm...@earthlink.net rickm...@earthlink.net wrote: Notwithstanding any uncalculated (our inability to do so) time anomaly, bringing in the ol' Relativity question. To what degree is this a valid consideration? -Original Message- From: Galactic Stone
[meteorite-list] TONS OF ROCKS REMOVED FROM LAKE BED?
Hi Listees, This article about preparations for a new land speed record using the surface of the Kalahari states that they cleared the hard pan of some 18,500 tons of rocks in preparation for the attempt. If this link doesn't work access the Drudge Report on line and look for the caption. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/motoring-news/land-speed-record-britishbuilt-hybrid-rocket-car-aims-to-be-the-fastest-on-earth-10125305.html# I cannot help but muse on how many meteorites might be in that pile of rubble and would it not be grand to search it? Regards, Count Deiro IMCA 3536 MetSoc __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] TONS OF ROCKS REMOVED FROM LAKE BED?
I agree...there has to be a good chance...just booking my plane ticket ;-) Graham On Sun, Mar 22, 2015 at 5:50 PM, Count Deiro via Meteorite-list meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com wrote: Hi Listees, This article about preparations for a new land speed record using the surface of the Kalahari states that they cleared the hard pan of some 18,500 tons of rocks in preparation for the attempt. If this link doesn't work access the Drudge Report on line and look for the caption. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/motoring-news/land-speed-record-britishbuilt-hybrid-rocket-car-aims-to-be-the-fastest-on-earth-10125305.html# I cannot help but muse on how many meteorites might be in that pile of rubble and would it not be grand to search it? Regards, Count Deiro IMCA 3536 MetSoc __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Ad - Bruderheim Individuals and Auctions Ending with Lower Reserves
Hello all You read it right, I have two nice Bruderheim stones with provenance available on my website with plenty to read: http://www.nakhladogmeteorites.com/catalog/bruder.htm I am also trying to clear out some of my eBay inventory and have dropped the prices on everything, some high end collection stuff in the mix: http://www.ebay.com/sch/nakhladog/m.html Save another 10% by coming straight at me with something you like on eBay, making it 20% off from where they were originally listed. Rob Wesel -- Nakhla Dog Meteorites www.nakhladogmeteorites.com www.facebook.com/Nakhla.Dog.Meteorites www.facebook.com/Rob.Wesel -- We are the music makers... and we are the dreamers of the dreams. Willy Wonka, 1971 __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Meteorite Picture of the Day
Today's Meteorite Picture of the Day: Millbillillie Contributed by: James Tobin http://www.tucsonmeteorites.com/mpodmain.asp?DD=03/22/2015 __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] AD - 30 Awesome Philippinite Spheres
Hello Everyone, We recently acquired some wonderful Philippinite Spheres which we just listed today at a reduced price until March 31st, 2015. We are also offering the Met List a 15% Discount which is also good through March 31st, 2015. Please apply the discount Coupon Code on our Checkout Page. Coupon Code= PHIL http://www.meteorites-for-sale.com/philippinite-spheres.html Thank you! Paul and Jim __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] AD - I finally updated my site
Hello everybody, Yes, I finally got it done, or almost done. Lots of new stuff! So here is what you are going to find: On the Old Collection Iron page ( http://www.impactika.com/OldIRON.htm ): at least a dozen rare old little irons, newly polished and etched. On the New-Special page ( http://www.impactika.com/special.htm ): Some great new acquisitions: Chico, Allende, Moorabie and of course Peekskill And More trades with the Museum of Rio de Janeiro: Serra de Mage, Itapicuru-Mirim On the Iron-Meteorites ( http://www.impactika.com/MetIRON.htm ) and Stone-Meteorites ( http://www.impactika.com/MetSTON.htm ) pages: More classic meteorites, some with Huss numbers: McKinney, Macy..., some with Robert Haag's label. And the super-rare Ivory Coast Tektites now have a page all for themselves: Impactites ( http://www.impactika.com/impacts.htm ) and I have a whole bunch to add to that page. And on the Books-Prints ( http://www.impactika.com/books.htm ) page a very special offer. Now, have fun going through all those pages, discovering things, things you didn't know you absolutely had to have! ;-) Next job: adding at least 100 thin-sections to my site!!! Any questions, just ask! Anne M. Black www.IMPACTIKA.com impact...@aol.com __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
