Deception Point Page 88

Tolland considered it. The Mariana Trench was seven miles pile, one of the last truly undiscovered regions on the planet. Only a handful of robotic probes had ever ventured that deep, and most had collapsed good before they reached the bottom. The water ram in the trespass was enormous-an astounding railcardinal thousand pounds per square inch, as opposed to a mere twenty-four pounds on the oceanics surface. Oceanographers still had very little chthonianstanding of the geologic forces at the deepest ocean floor. So, this guy pollock thinks the Mariana Trench can make tilts with chondrule like features?Its an super obscure theory, Xavia said. In fact, its never even been form everyy published. I that happened to stumble across Pollocks personal nones on the Web by opportunity last month when I was doing research on fluid-rock interactions for our upcoming megaplume show. Otherwise, I never would rescue heard of it.The theory has never been published, Corky said, becaus e its ridiculous. You deficiency heat to form chondrules. Theres no way water pressure could set up the crystalline structure of a rock.Pressure, Xavia shoot acantha, happens to be the single biggest indorser to geologic change on our planet. A little something called a metamorphic rock? Geology 101?Corky scowled.Tolland realized Xavia had a point. Although heat did be a role in some of earths metamorphic geology, most metamorphic rocks were formed by extreme pressure. Incredibly, rocks deep in the earths saddle sore were chthonic so much pressure that they acted more like thick molasses than unfluctuating rock, becoming elastic and undergoing chemic changes as they did. Nonetheless, Dr. Pollocks theory still seemed like a stretch.Xavia, Tolland said. Ive never heard of water pressure alone chemically altering a rock. Youre the geologist, whats your take?Well, she said, flipping through her notes, it sounds like water pressure isnt the notwithstanding factor. Xavia foun d a passage and read Pollocks notes verbatim. Oceanic crust in the Mariana Trench, already under enormous hydrostatic pressurization, can scrape up itself further compressed by architectonic forces from the regions subduction zones.Of course, Tolland thought. The Mariana Trench, in addition to beingness crushed under seven miles of water, was a subduction zone-the compression line where the peaceable and Indian plates moved toward one another and collided. Combined pressures in the trench could be enormous, and because the area was so remote and dangerous to study, if there were chondrules down there, chances of anyone knowing about it were very slim.Xavia kept reading. Combined hydrostatic and tectonic pressures could potentially force crust into an elastic or semiliquid state, allowing visible radiation elements to fuse into chondrulelike structures thought to occur only in space.Corky rolled his eyeball. Impossible.Tolland glanced at Corky. Is there any alternative explanati on for the chondrules in the rock Dr. Pollock found?Easy, Corky said. Pollock found an actual meteorite. Meteorites square off into the ocean all the time. Pollock would not have suspect it was a meteorite because the league crust would have eroded away from years under the water, making it look like a normal rock. Corky saturnine to Xavia. I dont suppose Pollock had the brains to measure the nickel electrical capacity, did he?Actually, yes, Xavia fired back, flipping through the notes again. Pollock writes I was surprised to find the nickel content of the specimen falling within a midrange value not normally associated with terrestrial rocks.Tolland and Rachel exchanged startled looks.Xavia continued reading. Although the quantity of nickel does not fall within the normally acceptable midrange window for meteoritic origin, it is amazingly close.Rachel looked troubled. How close? Is there any way this ocean rock could be mistaken for a meteorite?Xavia shook her manoeuvre. Im no t a chemical petrologist, precisely as I understand it, there are numerous chemical deviations between the rock Pollock found and actual meteorites.What are those differences? Tolland pressed.Xavia sullen her attention to a graph in her notes. According to this, one difference is in the chemical structure of the chondrules themselves. It looks like the atomic number 22/zirconium ratios differ. The titanium/ zirconium ratio in the chondrules of the ocean sample showed ultradepleted zirconium. She looked up. Only deuce parts per million.Two ppm? Corky blurted. Meteorites have thousands of times thatExactly, Xavia replied. Which is why Pollock thinks his samples chondrules are not from space.Tolland leaned over and whispered to Corky, Did NASA happen to measure the titanium/zirconium ratio in the Milne rock?Of course not, Corky sputtered. nonentity would ever measure that. Its like looking at a car and measuring the tires rubber content to confirm youre looking at a carTolland he aved a sigh and looked back at Xavia. If we give you a rock sample with chondrules in it, can you run a establish to determine whether these inclusions are meteoric chondrules or one of Pollocks deep ocean compression things?Xavia shrugged. I suppose. The electron microprobes accuracy should be close enough. Whats this all about, anyway?Tolland turned to Corky. Give it to her.Corky reluctantly pulled the meteorite sample from his easy lay and held it out for Xavia.Xavias brow furrowed as she took the stone disk. She eyed the fusion crust and then the fossil embedded in the rock. My God she said, her head rocketing upward. This isnt part of?Yeah, Tolland said. Unfortunately it is.106Alone in her character, Gabrielle Ashe stood at the window, wondering what to do next. Less than an hour ago, she had left NASA feeling full of excitement to contribution Chris Harpers PODS fraud with the senator.Now, she wasnt so sure.According to Yolanda, two independent ABC reporters suspected Sext on of taking SFF bribes. Furthermore, Gabrielle had just learned that Sexton actually knew she had snuck into his flatbed during the SFF meeting, and yet he had said nothing to her about it?Gabrielle sighed. Her taxi had abundant since departed, and although she would call another in a few minutes, she knew there was something she had to do first.Am I really going to try this?Gabrielle frowned, knowing she didnt have a choice. She no longer knew whom to trust.Stepping out of her office, she made her way back into the secretarial lobby and into a wide hallway on the confrontation side. At the far end she could see the massive oak doors of Sextons office flanked by two flags-Old Glory on the right and the Delaware flag on the left. His doors, like those of most senate offices in the building, were steel reinforced and secured by conventional keys, an electronic key pad entry, and an alarm system.She knew if she could get inside, even if for only a few minutes, all the answers woul d be revealed. Moving now toward the heavily secured doors, Gabrielle had no illusions of getting through them. She had other plans.Ten feet from Sextons office, Gabrielle turned sagaciously to the right and entered the ladies room. The fluorescents came on automatically, reflecting harshly off the white tile. As her eyes adjusted, Gabrielle paused, seeing herself in the mirror. As usual, her features looked softer than shed hoped. Delicate almost. She always felt stronger than she looked. are you sure you are ready to do this?