Abstract
The possible role of comets in bringing volatiles to the inner planets is investigated by means of laboratory studies of the ability of ice to trap gases at low temperatures. The pattern of the heavy noble gases formed in the atmosphere of Venus can be explained by the impact of a planetesimal composed of ices formed in the range of 20 to 30 K. The noble gas patterns on Mars and Earth are less explicable by cometary bombardment alone.
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Owen, T., Bar-Nun, A., Kleinfeld, I. (1991). Noble Gases in Terrestrial Planets: Evidence for Cometary Impacts?. In: Newburn, R.L., Neugebauer, M., Rahe, J. (eds) Comets in the Post-Halley Era. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 167. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3378-4_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3378-4_18
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