Abstract
ON July 20, 1976 Viking I lander made a soft landing on the martian surface. Atmospheric pressure recorded on the surface by the lander was 7.7 mbar and main constituents of the atmosphere were 95% CO2 2–3% N2, 1–2% Ar and 0.3–0.4% O2 (ref. 1). The (40Ar/36Ar) isotopic ratio was 2,750±500 as measured by a mass spectrometer1. This high isotopic ratio suggests an unique history for the evolution of the martian atmosphere. The possible mechanisms of argon degassing models of Mars are discussed here.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Owen, T. & Biemann, K. Science 193, 801–803 (1976).
Cameron, A. G. W. Space Sci. Rev. 15, 121–146 (1973).
Turekian, K. K. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 17, 37–43 (1959).
Ozima, M. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 39, 1127–1134 (1975).
Fanale, E. P. & Cannon, W. A. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 36, 319–328 (1972).
Lewis, J. S. Science 186, 440–443 (1974).
Fanale, E. P. Icarus 28, 179–202 (1976).
Carr, M. J. geophys. Res. 78, 4049–4062 (1973).
Wood, J. A. Icarus 16, 229–240 (1972).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HAMANO, Y. Argon degassing models of Mars. Nature 266, 41–42 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/266041a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/266041a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
