On the fluxes and fates of 3 He accreted by the Earth with extraterrestrial particles

• Main Authors: Lal, Devendra, Jull, Anthony J. T.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Elsevier Science 2005
• Subjects: QE Geology; Greenland; Pacific; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://repository.ias.ac.in/19260/; http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0012821X05002402

The influx of extraterrestrial (ET) matter on the Earth results in appreciable fluxes of 3 He originating from several different processes. We have analyzed the published data on the observed concentrations of 3 He in interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) sampled in the stratosphere, in polar ice samples, and in meteorites. This information, considered together with production of secondary fragments during the atmospheric entry of meteoroids, allows us to make plausible estimates of fluxes of the extra-terrestrial fluxes of the two principal 3 He types accreted along with the extraterrestrial materials: (i) solar wind (SW) and solar energetic particle (SEP) 3 He implanted in ET particles, and (ii) 3 He produced in the ET matrix by interactions of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) particles. An appreciable fraction of 3 He brought to the Earth by ET particles is expected to be lost from the particles during ablation and fragmentation of the particles during their transit through the atmosphere. By comparing the measured 3 He fluxes in two terrestrial archives, polar ice and marine sediments, and based on supplementary data ( 3 He / 4 He and 20 Ne / 22 Ne ratios), we have attempted to determine the relative fluxes of solar (SW and SEP) and GCR 3He that are preserved in them. Our analyses establish the fact that the reported 3 He concentrations in particles in "relatively small size polar ice samples from Greenland and Antarctica" are primarily due to the solar 3 He accreted via IDPs of (2-5) μm radii scavenged in the polar ice. We predict that if larger ice samples were analyzed, greater contributions would be found from GCR 3 He present in fragments of meteoroids produced during their entry through the atmosphere. It follows therefore that long-term fluxes of IDPs can be estimated from studies of 3 He in relatively small samples of polar ice sheets. One observes appreciable concentrations of 3 He in marine sediments. Extensive observational data are available for sediments in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. We show that besides IDPs, there is an important source which is an important contributor to the flux of 3 He in marine sediments. This is the GCR produced 3 He in meteoroids of sizes up to ~1 m. We compare the measured 3 He fluxes in marine sediments with those predicted from solar 3 He in IDPs, and from GCR produced 3 He in secondary fragments of meteoroids of sizes up to ~1 m, produced during their transit through the atmosphere. Our studies allow us to reach plausible conclusions regarding the predominant source of 3 He in marine sediments.