Deception Point Page 88

Tolland considered it. The Mariana Trench was seven miles down, one of the lastly truly unexplored regions on the planet. Only a handful of robotic probes had ever ventured that deep, and about had collapsed well out front they reached the bottom. The pee ram in the ditch was enormous-an astounding eighteen thousand pounds per square inch, as argue to a mere twenty-four pounds on the oceans surface. Oceanographers facilitate had real little understanding of the geological forces at the deepest ocean floor. So, this guy Pollock thinks the Mariana Trench can make flaps with chondrulelike features?Its an extremely obscure theory, Xavia said. In fact, its neer even been form everyy published. I only happened to stumble across Pollocks personal notes on the Web by chance last month when I was doing research on fluid-rock interactions for our upcoming megaplume show. Otherwise, I never would aim heard of it.The theory has never been published, corky said, because its ridiculo us. You need heat to form chondrules. Theres no way water pressure could rearrange the crystalline structure of a rock.Pressure, Xavia open fire back, happens to be the single biggest contributor to geologic change on our planet. A little something called a metamorphous rock? Geology 101?Corky scowled.Tolland established Xavia had a point. Although heat did play a role in some of earths metamorphic geology, most metamorphic rocks were formed by extreme pressure. Incredibly, rocks deep in the earths crust were under so much pressure that they acted more like thick molasses than solid rock, becoming elastic and undergoing chemical 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 only factor. Xavia be a passage and enunciate Pollocks notes verb atim. Oceanic crust in the Mariana Trench, already under enormous hydrostatic pressurization, can find itself upgrade compressed by tectonic forces from the regions subduction zones.Of course, Tolland thought. The Mariana Trench, in addition to being crushed under seven miles of water, was a subduction zone-the compression line where the Pacific 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 in that respect were chondrules down on that point, 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 lighter elements to fuse into chondrulelike structures thought to occur only in space.Corky rolled his eyes. Impossible.Tolland glanced at Corky. Is there any alternative explanation for the chondrules in the rock Dr. Pollock found?E asy, Corky said. Pollock found an actual meteorite. Meteorites fall into the ocean all the time. Pollock would not pay out suspected it was a meteorite because the amalgamation crust would have eroded away from years under the water, making it look like a normal rock. Corky turned to Xavia. I dont suppose Pollock had the brains to ginmill the plate content, 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 deep down a midrange value not usually 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 surprisingly close.Rachel looked troubled. How close? Is there any way this ocean rock could be mistaken for a meteorite?Xavia shook her head. Im not a chemical petrologist, but as I understand it, there are nume rous chemical differences surrounded by the rock Pollock found and actual meteorites.What are those differences? Tolland pressed.Xavia turned 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 si/zirconium ratios differ. The titanium/ zirconium ratio in the chondrules of the ocean sample showed ultradepleted zirconium. She looked up. Only two 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 sum of money the titanium/zirconium ratio in the Milne rock?Of course not, Corky sputtered. Nobody would ever measure that. Its like sounding at a car and measuring the tires rubber content to confirm youre looking at a carTolland heaved a sigh and looked back at Xavia. If we give you a rock sample with chondr ules in it, can you run a test 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 pocket 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 theology she said, her head rocketing upward. This isnt part of?Yeah, Tolland said. Unfortunately it is.106Alone in her office, Gabrielle Ashe stood at the window, wondering what to do next. Less than an instant ago, she had left NASA feeling full of excitement to share Chris Harpers PODS fraud with the senator.Now, she wasnt so sure.According to Yolanda, two individual ABC reporters suspected Sexton of taking SFF bribes. Furthermore, Gabrielle had just learned that Sexton actually kn ew she had snuck into his apartment during the SFF meeting, and as yet he had said nothing to her about it?Gabrielle sighed. Her taxi had long 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 opposite side. At the far end she could see the massive oak tree 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 engender inside, even if for only a few minutes, all the answers would be revealed. Moving now toward the heavily secured doors, Gabrielle had no illusio ns of getting through them. She had other plans.Ten feet from Sextons office, Gabrielle turned sharply 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.argon you sure you are ready to do this?