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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
08:43
Separation of Uranium and Thorium for 230Th-U Dating of Submarine Hydrothermal Sulfides
Published on: May 20, 2019
Helium on venus: implications for uranium and thorium.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 22, 1983
Summary
The solar wind removes helium from Venus's atmosphere at a high rate after ionization. Similar surface sources for helium-4 on Venus and Earth suggest comparable crustal uranium and thorium levels.
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Atmospheric Science
- Plasma Physics
Background:
- Venus's atmosphere experiences continuous interaction with the solar wind.
- Helium, a noble gas, is present in planetary atmospheres and can be lost to space.
- Understanding atmospheric escape mechanisms is crucial for planetary evolution studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the rate of helium removal from Venus's atmosphere by solar wind interaction.
- To compare the surface sources of helium on Venus with those on Earth.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of atmospheric escape processes.
- Modeling of solar wind-atmosphere interactions above the plasmapause.
Main Results:
- Helium is removed from Venus's atmosphere at an average rate of 10^6 atoms/cm^2/s.
- This removal occurs after ionization by the solar wind above the plasmapause.
- The surface source of helium-4 on Venus appears similar to that of Earth.
Conclusions:
- Solar wind interaction is a significant factor in Venus's atmospheric helium loss.
- The similarity in helium-4 surface sources suggests comparable abundances of radioactive elements like uranium and thorium in the crusts of Venus and Earth.
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