'Deception Point Page 88\r'

'Tolland considered it. The Mariana Trench was cardinal miles down, angiotensin converting enzyme of the last truly unexplored regions on the planet. Only a handful of robotic probes had eer ventured that deep, and near had collapsed well before they reached the bottom. The peeing oblige in the trench was enormous-an amazing eighteen thousand pounds per squ be inch, as opposed to a mere 24 pounds on the marines surface. Oceano charters still had very half-size on a lower floorstanding of the geologic forces at the deepest ocean floor. â€Å"So, this guy pollack thinks the Mariana Trench jakes make st iodin merchantmandys with chondrule standardized features?”\r\nâ€Å"Its an radic aloney obscure scheme,” Xavia said. â€Å"In fact, its neer steady been var.ally published. I scarce happened to stumble across Pollocks private nones on the Web by put on the line last month when I was doing look for on fluid- argument interactions for our upcoming m egaplume show. Otherwise, I neer would have heard of it.”\r\nâ€Å"The theory has n eer been published,” Corky said, â€Å"because its ridiculous. You need heat to form chondrules. Theres no way water obligate could rearrange the crystalline structure of a rock.”\r\nâ€Å"Pressure,” Xavia fired back, â€Å"happens to be the single biggest fetch uporser to geologic change on our planet. A little something called a metamorphic rock? Geology 101?”\r\nCorky scowled.\r\nTolland realized Xavia had a point. Although heat did play a function in some of earths metamorphic geology, most metamorphic rocks were formed by extreme pressure. Incredibly, rocks deep in the earths impudence were under so much pressure that they acted more than identical thick molasses than solid rock, befitting elastic and under dismissal chemical changes as they did. Nonetheless, Dr. Pollocks theory still seemed like a stretch.\r\nâ€Å"Xavia,” Tolland said. â€Å"I ve never heard of water pressure alone chemically altering a rock. Youre the geologist, whats your frivol away?”\r\nâ€Å"Well,” she said, flipping through her notes, â€Å"it sounds like water pressure isnt the only factor.” Xavia undercoat a flight and read Pollocks notes verbatim. â€Å"‘Oceanic archness in the Mariana Trench, al crap under enormous hydrostatic pressurization, can find itself further wet by tectonic forces from the regions subduction zones.”\r\nOf course, Tolland thought. The Mariana Trench, in adjunct to being crushed under seven miles of water, was a subduction zone-the compression line where the peaceful and Indian plates moved toward one an another(prenominal)(prenominal) and collided. Combined pressures in the trench could be enormous, and because the atomic number 18a was so remote and parlous to study, if there were chondrules down there, chances of everyone knowing most it were very slim.\r\nXavia kept reading. â€Å"‘Combined hydrostatic and tectonic pressures could potentially force crust into an elastic or semiliquid state, allowing twinkle elements to fuse into chondrulelike structures thought to occur only in space.”\r\nCorky rolled his eyes. â€Å"Impossible.”\r\nTolland glanced at Corky. â€Å"Is there any alternative rendering for the chondrules in the rock Dr. Pollock found?”\r\nâ€Å"Easy,” Corky said. â€Å"Pollock found an literal meteorite. Meteorites fall into the ocean all the time. Pollock would not have suspected it was a meteorite because the fusion crust would have eat at away from years under the water, qualification it look like a form rock.” Corky turned to Xavia. â€Å"I dont think all over Pollock had the brains to measure the nickel national, did he?”\r\nâ€Å"Actually, yes,” Xavia fired back, flipping through the notes again. â€Å"Pollock writes: ‘I was surprised to find the nickel content of t he specimen falling indoors a midrange value not usually associated with routine rocks.”\r\nTolland and Rachel exchanged startled looks.\r\nXavia continued reading. â€Å"‘Although the measuring stick of nickel does not fall within the normally acceptable midrange window for meteoritical origin, it is surprisingly constraining.”\r\nRachel looked troubled. â€Å"How close? Is there any way this ocean rock could be mistaken for a meteorite?”\r\nXavia shook her head. â€Å"Im not a chemical petrologist, but as I understand it, there are numerous chemical goings between the rock Pollock found and actual meteorites.”\r\nâ€Å"What are those differences?” Tolland pressed.\r\nXavia turned her attention to a graph in her notes. â€Å"According to this, one difference is in the chemical structure of the chondrules themselves. It looks like the te/ zirconium ratios differ. The titanium/ zirconium ratio in the chondrules of the ocean try on showed ultradepleted zirconium.” She looked up. â€Å"Only ii parts per million.”\r\nâ€Å" both ppm?” Corky blurted. â€Å"Meteorites have thousands of times that!”\r\nâ€Å"Exactly,” Xavia replied. â€Å"Which is wherefore Pollock thinks his samples chondrules are not from space.”\r\nTolland leaned over and whispered to Corky, â€Å"Did NASA happen to measure the titanium/zirconium ratio in the Milne rock?”\r\nâ€Å"Of course not,” Corky sputtered. â€Å"Nobody would ever measure that. Its like looking at a car and measuring the tires good-for-naught content to confirm youre looking at a car!”\r\nTolland heaved a suspiration and looked back at Xavia. â€Å"If we give you a rock sample with chondrules in it, can you run a test to figure whether these inclusions are meteoric chondrules or… one of Pollocks deep ocean compression things?”\r\nXavia shrugged. â€Å"I suppose. The electron microprobes accuracy sho uld be close enough. Whats this all about, anyway?”\r\nTolland turned to Corky. â€Å" lapse it to her.”\r\nCorky reluctantly pulled the meteorite sample from his release and held it out for Xavia.\r\nXavias brow furrowed as she took the stone disk. She eyed the fusion crust and then the fossil embedded in the rock. â€Å"My God!” she said, her head rocketing upward. â€Å"This isnt part of…?”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah,” Tolland said. â€Å" unluckily it is.”\r\n106\r\nAlone in her smirch, Gabrielle Ashe stood at the window, inquire what to do next. Less than an hour ago, she had left(a) NASA feeling full of excitement to pct Chris Harpers PODS fraud with the senator.\r\nNow, she wasnt so sure.\r\nAccording to Yolanda, two independent ABC reporters suspected sexton of taking SFF bribes. Furthermore, Gabrielle had just learned that sexton actually knew she had snuck into his apartment during the SFF meeting, and yet he had said nothing to her about it?\r\nGabrielle sighed. Her literary hack had long since departed, and although she would call another in a few minutes, she knew there was something she had to do first.\r\nAm I really going to try this?\r\nGabrielle frowned, knowing she didnt have a choice. She no longer knew whom to trust.\r\nStepping out of her office, she do her way back into the secretarial tap and into a wide hallway on the opposite side. At the far end she could see the massive oak doors of Sextons office flanked by two flags-Old Glory on the even out 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 chance upons, an electronic key pad entry, and an alarm system.\r\nShe knew if she could get inside, even if for only a few minutes, all the answers would be revealed. Moving now toward the intemperately secured doors, Gabrielle had no illusions of getting through them. She had other plans.\r\nTen feet fr om Sextons office, Gabrielle turned sharply to the right and entered the ladies room. The fluorescents came on automatically, reflecting harshly off the sinlessness 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.\r\nAre you sure you are ready to do this?\r\n'